What's an actual virtual tour?
An actual virtual tour is a pictorial representation of your home that makes the viewer actually feel like they're standing in your home.
How is this done?
I have now been a digital tour photog for 7 years. When I go into a property to begin taking the 360 degree panoramic shots nearly every home owner says, " Is that the way you get it done?" I chuckle and say "yes, but you should promise not to tell anyone the secret" ;.The majority of them genuinely believe that the tour is performed with a video camera. It is obviously completed with an electronic SLR camera- such as a Nikon Virtual tours yorkshire. What makes it look like a video? Its the program my company uses to "stitch" the pics together. I actually think our virtual tour pans are a lot better than video because of the capability to generate high intensity lighting utilizing a flash that is difficult with a video without bringing in a facility light.
Why aren't lots of agents doing virtual tours anymore?
Plenty of large brokerages are providing their agents with programs that enable them to create a simple slide show using their own pics. Most agents don't want to have to spend money on a listing. Typically an agent can get a contract and take the listing and the only real cost is to print out some fliers for the hanger on the register the yard. An average virtual tour average price is all about $100-150. Most agents will receive 3% commission - that's $3,000 per $100k but they don't want to have to invest anything at the start because - in the present 2009-2010 market- homes are in the marketplace typically 100 days or even more and lots of owners are cancelling their contracts and moving forward to test another agent. Then there's the problems with short sales.
How can you insure your home is being marketed properly? Ask the agent up front. Can you utilize the service of a professional photographer that takes 360 degree full panoramic tours? Or- you can call the virtual tour company yourself, pay for the tour and you then will own it. Then it will not need to be redone if you switch agents.