All virtual tours are not created equally. When you are choosing your listing agent, make sure that you take the opportunity to really preview some of their on-line listing presentations. It's important to remember that widely distributed, quality photos of well-staged properties are critical to getting home buyers into their cars and into your house. These days, according to the NAR, three out of four home buyers are on the Internet eliminating homes that don't fit their needs. Perspective buyers will see more homes than ever before in a shorter period of time without ever stepping foot into one. The unfortunate truth is that many are passing on quality properties due to poor on-line presentations. As well, many real estate agents use the same process of elimination. We agents genuinely appreciate a quality photo tour.

Many times a home will meet a buyers query parameters, but the buyers won't view the virtual tour. Could that be a clue that a price is too high or that the main picture of the tour is not enticing enough to get them to make the next click? You bet. If the pictures are too small, pixelated, or dark could that affect the way your home is perceived? Absolutely. In my opinion, short of price and condition, the Internet presentation is the most important marketing tool an agent has to get your home sold.

Make sure that your agent is willing and able to track how many views and tours your home has received online. Just because you didn't have any showings this week doesn't mean that a dozen or more buyers didn't tour your home. These statistics are important for you in making critical pricing and marketing decisions. 

There are many different tools your listing agent will use to sell your home and the online tour is as important as any of them. Make sure to see a sample of your potential agent's online tour. It could make the difference in getting your home sold!

Oooops, there is one caveat. If your home does not show well in pictures that could be a hint that you need to make some serious changes before putting it on the market. But, that's a different topic!