I am pretty much a veteran realtor at this point. I'm a broker, have hundreds of sales under my belt and all the resume stuff that we all work toward. But I want to know how others are finding the virtual tour as a marketing tool. A friend of mine does tours here locally. I'd definitely use him: knoxtours.net but the question remains - is it worth the money to add it on? Will it increase the number of listings I get, increase the likelihood of a successful sale and all that.
Thanks!
Rob
I'm am a rookie to Real Estate, but a veteran to Video Production. How much are they charging to make a virtual tour video? Is it that much money to where Agents are questioning their value?
Rob - I think that sellers are now expecting virtual tours in the same way that they expected (and still expect) open houses. There are some very economical hosting sites for the tours, and, with a little practice, you can set up your own without a lot of difficulty.
I find that a lot of the so called virtual tours agents in our market are using are a giant slide show. They're not actually video. Even the virtual tour company here isn't shooting video they're still linked together. I think a professional photographer can do a much better job than most Realtors.
Consumers like images when searching for houses but as one I can't stand to wait for large flash sites to load. Give me clean clickable images with quick load times that present the property professionally and I'll stick around on a site.
Rob~ I think it is a given that there will be a virtual tour with each listing. Buyers want pictures, lots of pictures and a tour is just another way of presenting the home. Heck you can do your own for FREE with flyinside.com or even free slide shows with slide.com. So if money is a factor, use the free ones!
rob...Yes, it's a given...more now than ever...and they will become the dominant feature in the near future....
I agree that professional photographers are key to promoting great listings. On my homepage, a "virtual tour" meaning a slideshow like Brian mentioned. Vickie, I hadn't heard of flyinside.com, thanks for that! I think the one my friend was selling was $125 per listing for a basic package, more for CDs and other swag that can be left at the listing (a good take-away!)
Thanks Mike for input on the virtual tour as a whole, I agree they're needed - I guess I should ask more about how to decide what I'm going to spend on them. Vickie's freebie suggestion is great. I will definitely look into that, but do you say "if your home is expected to sell for more than $150k or $200k I provide a high-end professional tour? I don't want to alienate my bread & butter listings, but spending 10-15% of my commission on a virtual tour sounds a little steep.
Thanks guys!
Jusr my thought but today the Real Estate Industry is so computer driven that potential buyers need to see as many photos as they can possibly see. I love virtual tours...they are a great listing tool and certainly can create interest in the property. Saying all that....I have some listings I will not do a virtual tour on. There are times when a virtual tour does not do justice to the home or if the home is so small the inside photos create a wrong image. I have sold most of my inventory and as of right now do not have the remainder on tour.
Our MLS is offering free panorama views and virtual tours, aren't we lucky ? Haven't used them as yet
I hear now about video tours and you tube tours ...all seem pretty exciting. Any marketing to enhance our properties
I am all for. BTW a Virtual tour of the street where the house is listed if a great bonus for prospective buyers. I also did all the schools also. Keep in mind now with Active Rain , so many slide shows and presentations can be made on your outside blogs. ......these photo editing sites are free. ( Sky Album, Picnik,photobucket)
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