I've been using video tours since 2006 to promote my listings and garner more listings. In fact, it's grown so much that I now have a full-time videographer and editor on my staff 40 hours a week. When used correctly, applied correctly and promoted correctly, video can be a winner. It can be very expensive so beware of anyone who says they "use" video marketing. Search for the agents who use, apply and succeed volume-wise.

At NAR, I got stopped by WellcomeMat and asked for an interview. Here's a link to the video that was featured there and on Sellsius.

http://www.wellcomemat.com/video/2F6ACF88DE
Best of luck, George!

Sat Jul 5 2008, 08:27

Check this one out...

http://vifp.com/p/panorama.php?Branded=1&order_id=37129

and also this one

http://www.Point2NLs.com (provides basic virtual tours within their package for free)

Phyllis Lerner
www.westchester-real-estate.us

Wed Jul 2 2008, 23:18

George

I use circlepix tours. They send a professional photographer, the minimum package gives me 12 stills, & 5 or 6 360* virtuals, If you purchase in bulk of 6 you get a lot of extra's free plus a substantial savings.

Their pricing has changed so many of the items are ala cart. I do so many that I purchased the VIP membership. This gives me in addition to the min package 5% off my orders, aerial photography, free tour guide, free eTour, free print your own flyers, free video tour. They will post my tours on you tube and I get a web address for each tour.

I also have them print my color flyers and cd's of my tours. They have a really neat reporting program with stats of visits and where the visitors originated with the stats and graphs. I send the report to clients weekly. Clients like the report.

Mon Jun 23 2008, 11:31

I have been using true, high definition, walk through, narrated video tours for ALL of my listings for almost 3 years. 1) It benefits buyers - there are more properties on the market than ever before and gas is higher than in history. People are sitting at HOME touring homes and making decisions on which properties to visit in person. Video is the next best thing to actually being there. 2) it benefits sellers - with homes on the market for months and months, having to clean up, remove kids and pets and toys, etc. EVERY time some looky-loo wants to view the property gets very tedious over time. A video tour keeps those people away.... they watch it online. Only serious (VERY serious) people make appointments to view the home. 3) I have a competitive edge over virtually EVERY realtor in my area. I get 99% of every listing appointment I go on. Sellers LOVE video.

A true video walk through lets people see the WHOLE house, and how rooms relate to one another. Slideshow tours are generally the EXACT same photos that buyers have already seen - what is the point? Video tours that are created by putting a camera on a tripod and panning around a room are better than distorted, 'fun house' virtual tours, but not much better... you still can't see how the rooms connect/ relate. I even do videos of the communities I work with so people can see what the areas are like.

Mon Jun 23 2008, 04:55

I STRICTLY utilize Video when I do my tours. Additionally, I broadcast the video LIVE over the web. It has worked WONDERS in lead generation and exposure. I'll be happy to explain more..give me a call at 321.228.8100 or email at bdecosmo@cflmove.com

Thu May 15 2008, 08:30

I use VisualTour.com. Although not a true video, it emulates it through photo-stitching. It took a while to get the hang of it, but once I did, it was a piece of cake. What I like about this is the total flexibility. If I tire of some photos I took, I can add, modify or delete, lickety split.

Even though my tours aren't perfect, my clients are delighted.

One of the things I do from time to time is copy the tour on to business-card sized CDs that I hand out during open houses, or to new clients etc. Although this type CD has been around for a while, some folks have never seen one, and find it to be unusual (hence, they may tend to keep it longer than a paper flyer). The cost of the CD could range from 25 - 50 cents depending on the supplier.

I give the seller several copies of the tour so that they can hand them out, too. It's a great way to advertise me, too!

Here's a link to my latest visual tour. http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=1490770

What do you think?

Thu May 15 2008, 01:59

I have been using virtual tours for several years now. I was using In Touch Tours, which I really like, but they became very costly, so I am now using Visual Tour, which is a flat monthly fee instead of buying a package for a monthly fee and sometimes, I didn't have enough tours to justify the fee. I would check out Visual Tour, I am very happy with them and the learning curve is not difficult.

Fri May 9 2008, 11:57

George is at it again! Lots of great info on this thread.

Lighting:

If you are using a good video camera, one that operates well at low light (which should be a major portion of your decision when buying a video camera for tours), you will not have lighting issues and you'll be well on your way to producing good tours.

Video Formats:

Always make sure you are presenting videos in Flash. It is by far the most penetrated format on the web (over 97% of internet users are flash-ready). Even windows media won't cut it. Plan to see flash(s) dominance grow even more.

Number of views per video:

Be careful with this game. Number of video views is important, but only within a context that makes sense . The land mine to dodge here is that a video view within a generalist video portal is worth far less than a view within the context of a real estate search. I'd take 100 video views from Craigslist over 100 video views on YouTube any day!

That said...being the source of local information, as it relates to your turf (your market area) is a huge factor in why people will hire an agent. In this case, I'd say get your content into any place that someone might search for this type of info!

The number one most important thing to understand is that video cannot simply be placed next to a virtual tour and compared from a pricing standpoint. The number one MOST common piece of feedback that we get from agents using video well (ie. hiring a pro to produce their content or mastering the art of video production themselves) is "I DO NOT lose listings over competing agents that don't use video."

Enjoy the quantum shift that is video. We are smack dab in the middle of a time not unlike when television hit the planet. Web video is changing this space forever.

Fri May 9 2008, 09:43

Yes, the company that I work for has used them for several years. We get compliments all the time about them from potenial buyers and sellers! Check ours out on at: www.hirschirealtors.com

Fri May 9 2008, 08:23

We use vt on all our listings through tourfactory.com. We purchase a URL (ie. 123riverstreet.com) and direct all our advertising to the virtual tour. I stay with the same vt company as then I have an historical compilation of all our listings and can send the sold virtual tour link to clients.

Fri May 9 2008, 05:56

and right now Virtuoo only services Southern California, and the tv show is only available on Charter Cable, Verizon Fios, and mediacom (and soon Time Warner) on KZSW-TV (www.kzswtv.com)

Thu May 8 2008, 14:51

Thanks for your response...I use VIRTUOO tours (we also have a tv show on Charter Cable and Verizon Fios in Rancho Cuc. where the tours are shown).
Sample:

http://myvirtuoo.com//33289ElizabethRoad.html

More at http://www.virtuoo.com
Thanks!
-George

Thu May 8 2008, 14:38

I moved from virtual tours to video tours about two years ago. I make my own video files and upload them to a server who distributes them to anyone who clicks the link to view it at any time. Fairly simple process and provides a better depiction of the home in my opinion. With virtual tours you were limited to 6-10 pictures that encompass a 360 degree view of an area with one half of the view showing the lovely pool/spa, patio, etc. and the second half of the view showing a blank stucco wall - for example. I have included a link to an example of one of my tours. You will need to view it using Microsoft Media Player. Good luck!

Thu May 8 2008, 14:26

I have moved from Video Tours to Virtual Still Tours. Especially in this market when it takes much longer to sell a home. I can quickly and for FREE update photos so they are more seasonal. It's especially useful when the seller wants to re-paint after you've spent $100 on a virtual video tour.

Thu May 8 2008, 12:12

I'm familiar with VIDEO virtual tours but continue to use still photos for this reason: lighting is very important, and I take care to get good still shots and even use a professional photographer who brings in lights when necessary. Then, with a dozen or so great pictures, I put together a nice, not too long visual tour. Walking through a house with a video camera cannot result in well composed, well lit shots in my opinon. I haven't seen one yet that was as good as a well done visual tour using still photos.

Thu May 8 2008, 09:52

I use video virtual tour on all my listings. I receive a stat report once a week that shows the amount of viewings, and the numbers are in the hundreds weekly. All the top websites offer the capability to the buyer to view the video tour of the house. buyers will choose to preview the house with a tour over a house with just still pictures. My listings sell faster and buyers can target the homes they really want to see !

Thu May 8 2008, 08:37

Vitural tours help expose your seller's property, (a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes). It also lets you see what features are the most attractive and need to be marketed. Out of town buyers appreciate all the pictures they get receive before arriving in town.

Thu May 8 2008, 08:18