Virtual Tours - Fundamental and Now, Painless Anyone searching the Web for real estate can tell you that virtual tours really do matter. There is something about a little spinning house or an icon of a circular arrow that has an almost magnetic appeal, quietly urging “click me.” Virtual tours satisfy the human curiosity to know more and provide instant gratification.
Home buyers have grown so accustomed to seeing virtual tours that many will simply not consider clicking on a property listing that doesn’t have one. What does this mean for agents and brokers? Frankly, love them or hate them, virtual tours are now a staple in the online real estate business. Without them, you simply can’t compete.
The good news is that having a virtual tour is not as cumbersome as you might remember. With the vast availability of digital cameras and the recent launch of companies like FlyInside.com, a free virtual tour building Web site, the process has never been easier—or cheaper.
It used to be that if you wanted a virtual tour, you had to hire a company, coordinate a time with the homeowners and photographer, and then wait around for the company to put the virtual tour on the Web. Total turnaround time: anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. Total cost: anywhere from $100 to $500.
Do-it-yourself companies came along and simplified the process by giving you the option to create your own virtual tour. Great idea, but high barriers to entry remained. Set-up fees were expensive, software installation was necessary, and on top of all that, you often had to pay a monthly subscription fee regardless of whether or not you had new listings each month.
FlyInside.com’s mission is to change that process and transform the real estate virtual tour industry with an online option that is both simple and free. Users can go to the company’s Web site, create an account and instantly start creating virtual tours using their own digital photos. The online step-by-step wizard guides users through the entire process, from uploading the pictures, right down to selecting the background music.
This new-found accessibility to virtual tours goes up against the traditional thinking that only expensive listings justify the cost of creating a virtual tour. Now, the options are wide open. You don’t even have to confine the virtual tour to the actual listing anymore. For example, a link to a neighborhood and local attractions tour from the agent’s Web site is a great way to show specialization in a specific region.
The bottom line? Virtual tours are necessary and thanks to new, Web-based options, creating them has never been easier.
Rana Mukaled is the marketing manager for FlyInside.com. For more information, visit www.FlyInside.com. |
