I have recently browsed numerous strings and their are certainly some marketing gurus among us.
to them I pose this question. What is the general concensus on the effectiveness of 360degree tours, online realestate video etc?
When we talk about meeting the online demands of our net-savvy consumers, are these the most effective direct-selling tools available?.
Pros and cons please.
Cheers,
Arnie

Hi Arnie,
Welcome to the forum. I was starting to feel like a broom in an empty room in here

In this day and age where the majority of Brokers and Agents are still struggling with the fact that for technology to pay...it has to cost,... it's a hard sell. That being said, I can say that anyone not utilizing high quality vt's for each and every listing they have is truly missing out. My clients have sold and listed $millions$ in homes that they themselves attribute directly to the virtual tours and marketing we provide for them. So much so that they actually pay a monthly stipend so that we don't solicite their direct competitors. No BS here. Anyone that wishes to can contact me for contact information. When used properly, it's not just the fact that you have virtual tours...big deal right... The net savvy agents use them to weed out tirekickers and maximize their time by having potential buyers view all the tours and select the homes they want to see before they waste their time schlepping around. For potential buyers that aren't...shall we say...web friendly, they have them in the office to meet with them personnally, find out their true needs and wants and then set up an appointment to take them around to the houses they viewed and liked in the office. Many of them also get them started on their mortgage pre-qual and whatever else it is that they do. The buyers love the approach as most really don't want to waste their time either. Anyway... I guess you know how I feel about virtual tours ...LOL

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Rich
Advertising, Marketing & Virtual Tours

Virtual Tours and Videos can be a great listing tool and can also help generate buyer leads if you promote the fact that your site has them in your conventional advertising and listing presentations.

Agents in market areas where home prices (and therefore commissions) are high seem to be more inclined to make regular use of Virtual Tours.

From what have seen, agents in low priced market areas often try them a couple of times and then lose interest - probably because they find it hard to rationalize the cost when compared to the commission earned per home.

I think that if a site gets decent traffic sooner or later you can attribute at least one sale to the fact that you had such features on your site - no matter what market area you are in. And that one sale would more than pay for all the expense

I use virtual tours and though I do not have hard facts as to how many homes they help sell, I know that there have been homes that my clients have looked at (and later purchased) due to viewing the VT's. I cannot stress enough the importance of good pictures and VT's. Not only for the agents but most importantly for their buyers.
Like Doug mentioned in his post, you see alot of VT's on higher end homes, but that has never stopped me from using VT's on any home. I use VT's for showing the yard, cul-de-sac, local park, golf courses, lakes, etc.

Interesting use of VT's. Golf courses, and parks, etc. I get the sense that these types of technologies are moving mainstream realtors towards creating and delivering full pictoral neighborhood profiles for with every listing. - The next stage for todays interior VT's.
Other than personal success stories, are their any hard facts and stats supporting our theory that these medias coupled with our approach has increased traffic, queries, referral and/ or sales ratios?
With so many places to focus our marketing dollars, finding the best bang for the buck may require more discussion.
I appreciate everyones input. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Arnie

Shhh this is a secret..
I think VirTual Tours ( pictures and Videos) are so important, if it's a "nice house" in my area I will do them for an agent or real estate company for FREE.

But that is a No brainer and if your savvy you'd know why

2savvy, how will/does IDX impact VT's and photo tours?
We will have IDX access in the fall.
My understanding is that only viewers accessing my idx enabled personal website will be able to view these enhancements.
Is this true?
Thanks in advance
Arnie

2savvy, how will/does IDX impact VT's and photo tours?
We will have IDX access in the fall.
My understanding is that only viewers accessing my idx enabled personal website will be able to view these enhancements.
Is this true?
Thanks in advance
Arnie


Hi Arnie,
I am not as upto date as I should be on IDX I think Rich might know that answer.

The way I see IDX display would depend on the company behind it. This one company said that they got their info from realtor_com with bots so if it displayed in the same kind of format I don't see a problem with it being on other sites as well.

But it kind rises the problem of mls companies leasing or selling their data to Realtor_com because Realtor_com then sells it or leases it to other companies with or without paying a fee to the orginal mls. I know here in phoenix they created a stir with that.

Personally I think there is a little conflict of interest between MLS companies like (armls) who want to own or control the data for the sake of being in the data business. Unlike the real estate agent that would like their listing availble to everyone anywhere inorder to make a fast sale for their client.

The IDX question is a good one I hope that someone that really knows will answer as I am just guessing