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Latham Jenkins
Many of us think about selling homes in terms of size, number of beds, and bathrooms. Very few of us measure a property’s potential by the number of elk we can see from our deck or the quality of the property’s trout catch. But for Jackson Hole real estate agent Latham Jenkins, selling exceptional properties means conveying the special charm that comes from a truly unique landscape.
Jenkins’ background lies in advertising, so he already understood the power of visual storytelling when he heard Brad Inman talk about the impact of video at a conference in 2004. Previously, while video tours of some properties were created, they were distributed on CDs—a slow and expensive process. “I think Brad and his team recognized the confluence of video impact and the availability of online distribution,” Jenkins said.
After the conference, Jenkins, who was not yet a real estate agent, found a great listing and contacted the registry agent and his architect about shooting a video. “I shot it to spec; he laughed. His instincts were justified when he found the home—which had been on the market for over a year—a buyer who flew in and put it on contract within 24 hours after watching the video. That was the beginning of figuring out the power of video,” Jenkins said.
As you can see, this early example of Jenkins’ work includes a lot of feedback from the dealer and a lot of stats around the house. Over the years, he would begin to create his signature style with a greater focus on property setting and more space for visual elements to tell the story.
One of the things Jenkins emphasizes is photography throughout the day in order to capture a picture of the house in all its different moods and settings. “You don’t shoot all at once,” he said. “You can capture your breakfast scenes in the morning around the east-facing sections of the house. You can photograph the evening on the west-facing platforms at sunset.”
According to Jenkins, every part of the property should be photographed in its best light and the interiors should be photographed with the light that filters into the rooms.
Quick tip: Show how sunlight and time play into the look of a home. “You can capture your breakfast scenes in the morning around the east-facing sections of the house. You can photograph the evening on the west-facing platforms at sunset.”
There is no argument with the results obtained by Jenkins. His video style is credited with creating an instant emotional connection, often resulting in competitive performances within 24 hours of a listing launch.
Filming another Jenkins home in Teton Village led to a high-profile CEO introducing himself to Jenkins by saying, “Hey, I’ve watched this video 14 times. I’m buying this house.” This resulted in a full quote, three-week shutdown, with no emergencies.
When asked about his biggest early failures, Jenkins noted his tendency to put the cart before the horse, as it were, in previous videos. In those days, he often let the visuals take the lead before he had a coherent narrative in mind. Now, creating video marketing is compared to shooting a movie, where you start with text and anecdotal stories before shooting the photo.
Quick tip: Understand the phrase you want to make with your photos – the story you want to tell about the house. “Knowing the story up front makes the process more efficient.”
According to Jenkins, it is necessary to create coherence or alignment between visuals and words. “Otherwise, I waste time walking around the property wondering what I’m going to capture. Knowing the story up front makes the process more efficient.”
Early this year, Jenkins gained national recognition when a marketing campaign he designed for Cody Creek Ranch resulted in not only a sale. The house became number two for the Wall Street Journal house of the year.
As you’ll notice, this video lets the photos tell the story. While there are subtitles with key themes, the beauty of the landscape and the sounds of the property – from running water to duck roar – are the focus here to create a truly immersive audiovisual experience.
“Every time I meet a property buyer, he says to me, ‘All I do is watch this video over and over. “You see the emotional echo.”
Jenkins realized early on that to successfully market this one-of-a-kind roster, he needed to sell the place rather than the house. Thus, before shooting the video, he spent an “unusual” time observing the property.
Jenkins loved being on the property at first light to capture elk grazing. He’s learned where he can capture the best sunsets. He brought friends to fish and showed their joy in the video itself. Host dinner parties on the property to show how the setting enabled beautiful moments to unfold.
“Cody Creek had three former Realtors. They would take people across the house and look at the property from the front porch. I did it in the opposite direction. I took them around the building on side-by-side ATVs and they saw the place first, then we ended up in the house. They fell in They loved possessions and realized they could change the house as they wished.”
For Jenkins, there is a stark contrast between home marketing and most advertising initiatives. “Unlike a Tide commercial, which must resonate with millions of consumers, a real estate agent only needs one to be successful. This allows you to get a stronger perspective on your marketing.”
Quick tip: Don’t be afraid to have a strong point of view. “Unlike a Tide commercial, which should resonate with millions of consumers, a real estate agent only needs one to be successful.”
Even if you don’t sell hundreds of original acres, you can put Jenkins strategies to work in your video marketing campaigns. According to Jenkins, the biggest mistake many agents make is playing the role of the camera operator rather than the role of the producer.
Often, the agent gives “very little guidance and only two hours of their time,” Jenkins said. Then whichever of the shots they get during the session is what they have to work with in order to create a coherent visual narrative and identify key selling attributes.
“To do it right, you work with the homeowner to come up with the key features of the property and at what time of day each part of the property looks best,” Jenkins said. “I come up with a shooting plan and ask the videographer to be there a few times throughout the day.”
Quick tip: Be the producer, not the camera operator, on your video tour. “I come up with a shooting plan and ask the videographer to be there a few times throughout the day.”
Owning the role of producer ultimately informs you of the property and the house, Jenkins said, and then teaches you how to show ownership. “When you create the story around the house before the first listing date, you have fully informed yourself of the show — the time of day, how to flow through the property, what to point out, how to draw pictures of what it’s like to live on that property.”
