Dining RoomIf you've read many of my blog entries, you know I use Real Estate Shows and that I wring all I can out of them.  I don't like to spend money on something I don't use.  I also like to spread the news when I find something that works for me.   

So far those RES people don't seem to mind me talking about them and I've had a rough week, so I need this "easy post".  Talking nice about Real Estate Shows is easy for me.  

First of all, I hope you are using some kind of tour  if you are an agent or a stager.  If you don't already have one, well, you know which one I'll recommend.  And whichever you're using, I hope my ideas will work for you.    

One of the great things about RES is that they're so easy to change.  After you have your tour done, there may be minor "tweaks" you need to perform, such as a price change or a detail about what may be included with the home.  A couple clicks at your computer and you're done!  Doing it yourself and having that control is wonderful.  Don't wait for some expensive tech person to do this stuff for you.

Have you thought about changing the title of a show when you have an open house coming up?  You should!  Changing the title to "Open House This Weekend" days ahead of time could help you bring in more people.  Try it and see!  

Stagers, you should be using this tool!  Jessica Hughes is a stager using RES with GREAT results.  Hope she doesn't mind, I'm going to share the show here that she shared with me -- AWESOME way to show off your work, Jessica!  Isn't that a great addition to "flat" pictures?  

Are you trying to build up your visibility on Localism?  Take your camera along and get pictures of those great places you're going to tell us all about, and then make a tour about them!  What better way to make them come alive for us!  Check out my show on our recent Civil War Weekend.  Flat pictures can't make you feel like you were there the way this show can!

When you make a tour of one of your listings, take a quick walk and snap a few more pics of the neighborhood.  You can quickly whip up a show of the neighborhood and even link it to any listing you have in the neighborhood!  And might I say this should help you get MORE listings in this neighborhood?  Hmm?

Use tours to tell people why they should hire you.  Have you thought about linking directly from your website to a tour to tell people more about what you can do for them?  I have.  I use a templated site and having these tours gives me a lot of versatility without leading people "astray", everything they see still has my branding right there in front of them.

Think about all the occasions around you when you take pictures of events that are important to other people.  How many of those events could be made into shows that people would happily pass around ... At no charge to you, sharing your branding with everyone as they're shared?  Every baby shower, wedding, birthday party or graduation is just waiting for a show to be made and shared! 

Did I forget anything?  Tell me about it in the Comments below, or share a favorite tour of your own.  I love feedback, and yes, this is a blatant attempt to get Comments!  Make my day, people!

 

35 Comments on Are You Getting All You Can From Your Tours?

MAR
29
2007
1 Featured Post
Sarah...  I like the idea of taking neighborhood photos.  Hmm.. I need to add that.  Thanks for the tip.
9:57am • #1
260,250 Points 25 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Hi Sara,

We love the Real Estate Tours and use them wherever possible.  I'm thrilled to have found them and will continue to use them wherever and whenever possible.  Thanks for sharing your ideas with us.

 

Lisa Hammerstein

10:01am • #2
226,235 Points 41 Featured Posts Outside Blog
You overachiever you.  If this is an easy post, what do your difficult ones look like?  ;-)  OK, here I am giving you grief.  I'll stop now.  Great job.  I need to do some neighborhood tours and get my money's worth.
10:19am • #3
2 Featured Posts
Sarah, great post and wonderful information.  I've got the 0-360 lens to do my own VTs and just have to host it on another website and provide a link on my website.  I'll have to check out your website as well.  Have a great day!
10:36am • #4
175,435 Points 44 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah...you are just a doll and full of information.  You love for people and animals is awesome.  Active Rain is so blessed to have you as a member and all of us that benefit from your knowledge are blessed as well.  I hope all is well for you.
10:49am • #5
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Heather - Go take those neighborhood pics!  Hopefully you'll be using the neighborhood tours over and over, with new listings.

Lisa - You are AWESOME with your tours!!  Thanks for stopping in and commenting! 

Maggie - This was an easy one.  This is just me talking.  The hard ones are when I have to research a little and actually have facts presented correctly.  Talking about stuff I like is easy as pie.

Christopher - Guess I'll have to peek at your tours, too!  :o)

10:50am • #6
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Hi, George!  I must have missed your comment while I was typing.  Thank you!  You are so sweet.  I've had a rough week but I'm getting better.  Thanks for checking in.
10:52am • #7
175,435 Points 44 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah...you are very welcome my friend.  I'm sorry you have had a hard week.  I am glad you are getting better.  Keep your chin up and know that "The sun will come up tomorow" and it will be a different day. You are awesome and bring so much to this world.
10:59am • #8
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Thanks, George.  I had out-patient surgery this week and I'm feeling like I've gone through the wringer, but the worst is over.  I'm thankful that I have a partner so that my clients are being cared for and that I can take a few days off without too much trouble.  But notice me still here at the keyboard ... I must be crazy.  Thanks for your good wishes, it means a lot.  :o)
11:05am • #9
175,435 Points 44 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah...you have more than a partner there in W.V. You have a lot of friends here on Active Rain that care about you very much and I am at the top of the heap! If there is anything I can do for you please know that I am hear as a friend.
11:08am • #10
5 Featured Posts Outside Blog
So if I remember correctly about 15 or 20 postings ago you were going to do as tour of one of your properties and YOU were the Star! Is this a continuation of that? Are you still involved or have you gone to strictly a video / Picture tour?
1:13pm • #11
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Thank you, George.  I really appreciate it.

I wasn't just teasing, DannyHere it is, but it could use some polishing.

1:16pm • #12
5 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Hey I want an indoor pool!
3:22pm • #13
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Isn't that nice, Danny?  Thanks for not teasing my about my accent.  ;o)
3:27pm • #14
4 Featured Posts

Sarah, thanks for the mention!  I really appreciate it.

RES are AWESOME!  I love using them, it is incredibly easy to upload, create and edit their tours. 

 

3:28pm • #15
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog
You're very welcome, Jessica.  That was a beautiful house, perfectly staged.  Your show was worth talking about! 
3:29pm • #16
4 Featured Posts

If you liked that one, how about this one I just finished this morning?  It's another vacant in Boulder, in the new Steelyards community.

I wonder why more stagers don't use RES, it's such an amazing tool and adds so much value to our staging services!!!

I'm also working on a RES with 'before' and after photos of the above property showing the difference that staging makes on vacants.

3:59pm • #17
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Jessica, I could look at your staging ALL DAY!  I would never call that a "vacant" house.  That is a home-to-be!  You are very, very good at your job, and equally good at showing it off!  I'm officially a fan!
4:35pm • #18
Hey Sarah, sure hope you recover soon.  And thanks again for hitting the nail on the head about the many uses of the program.
7:41pm • #19
117,379 Points 8 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah, I think your talent just keeps going on and on and on.  Great post as usual.
8:51pm • #20
MAR
30
2007
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Thank you, Rochell.  I am feeling a little better today.  I really should stop posting about RES because it's almost cheating, it's just so easy.

Bob, always great to hear from you!  Thank you very much.

7:23am • #21
135,935 Points 15 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah - your tours look fantastic!!!  What kind of camera do you use?  Everything is so clear and in focus.  
8:08am • #22
428,700 Points 90 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah, one of the three blogs I was working on last night was a new blog for RealEstateShows.com. I featured this today.
8:23am • #23
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Hi, Maureen!  Thanks!  Those tours are all done with a Sony Cybershot, one that is about five years old and my newer ones with one I got for Christmas -- my husband loves my job because there's always some new "toy" I'm wanting, and that's what I get!  I wish I had tried the Kodak that Jeff Turner is always going on about, but I can't complain about this one.

Hi, Jeff!  Thank you so much!  That is really cool!  :oD

10:26am • #24
1 Featured Post
Ok, I admit it. Being new to AR, I had not heard of RES. I just took a look and it looks good. For about $10 a month, you can create as many shows as you like. I'm assuming by your raves, that you make more than $10 a month using them! Thanks
11:04am • #25
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Teri, it'll pay for itself in no time.  You can use these tours for ANYTHING and every time you do, it's advertising for you.  This one is a no-brainer! 

P.S.  If you get RES, let me see some of your shows! 

2:44pm • #26
MAR
31
2007
nice idea....
Keith
8:59pm • #27
I have a company do mine.  It works Great.
Greg Herson
10:39pm • #28
APR
01
2007
231,237 Points 64 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Hi, Keith!  Thanks!  Glad you stopped by.

Hi, Greg!  I'm too much of a control freak, I want to do it myself NOW.  These tours work great for a person like me.

8:47am • #29
APR
06
2007
Great use of a virtual tour to help people unfamiliar with the area to get a feel for the surroundings.
11:42am • #30
175,435 Points 44 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah...you never cease to amaze me.  On this "Good Friday" I give thanks to God for not only giving us his Son which has saved us all but for giving us Sarah Cooper that gives a "Smile that could light up any dark room" "That is filled with honesty, integrity and love for mankind".  Words do not suffice in expressing what you mean to the members of Active Rain and what you mean to me as a friend.  I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day and weekend.
12:23pm • #31
175,435 Points 44 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Oops...I almost forget...I just gave you a "5"!
12:25pm • #32
JUL
03
2007
Sarah - Do you have any ideas for using RES with expired listings?  I'm new to RES & just trying to think outside the box  for ways to contact expired listings.  Many of recent expireds have multiple photos on the MLS - most don't have any virtual tours - And RES could be the WOW factor that would get their attention.
Susan Miller
12:59am • #33
1 Featured Post
I am going to try to put together some local tours of our area - can't tell you how much I like "Jeff Turner's" Kodak! I, too, have had two Sony cameras and I really loved both of them. I have to say though, the wide angle on the Kodak blows them away for me (Bad sentence, but hope you understand what I was trying to say!)
9:55am • #34
JUL
05
2007
490,159 Points 50 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Sarah: I have not done any neighborhood shows yet. I think I just might...
11:43am • #35

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Sarah Cooper

Hurricane, WV

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Real Estate Shows

Address: WV

Office Phone: (888) 580-7627 x 710

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