Listing...check. Pictures...check. Soap box...check. Ok, ok, so I've got a beef I find necessary to share here. Not that I just want to blow off steam and waste the time of my fellow AR bloggers, but because I really want your opinion. Am I being to cynical about this?

I love virtual tours on listings. I think they can show a potential buyer a lot of detail and help one get a good view and idea of property layout, size, etc. But there is one thing bothering me about some of them.

To me, a virtual tour should be just that...a tour, a guided journey, in  sequence through the property. When they are done right they look great and really add value to the listing. After all, isn't that the point of spending the time and money to include one in our marketing?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of this tool to provide some level of motion? Now,  I'm not saying it has to be full motion video shot by a hollywood film crew and directed by Martin Scorsese, but there are some of these "tours" that are using still photographs and simply moving them from side to side. That's not a virtual tour, it's still life with an attitude.

Some companies do use true full motion, shot with an actual video camera. But, I know most virtual tours use still pictures that are stitched together to create the illusion of motion. While it's not really motion, it does give you a feel for the panoramic view of the property.  Why spend the time and money to produce a virtual tour, and simply use still pictures and bounce them around the screen like a ball on steroids? The idea of a tour is to enhance, give exceptional views, and provide the viewer with the feeling they are at the property is it not? I know these still picture type "tours" are easy and cheap to create, but I think it shows in the end result.

I'd love to know your thoughts. Am I missing something here?