Thread: Video Tours vs. Virtual Tours

Originally Posted by Gainesville_Real_Estate

Is this the dawning of a new era with internet video picking up speed? There are certainly a lot of advantages to video tours over virtual. They're more personal, you can focus on the qualities of a room rather than just showing every unattractive detail. What do you think?

I think that virtual tours are the past and video tours are here now. Since realtor dot com now allows you to upload video tours yourself, why bother putting in virtual tours.

I have seen the future of tours, which are computer generated virtual tours, totally interactive, and built so well that you cant even tell if it is real or fake. This is what is coming...

Virtual tools are dying. And video tours will become more inexpensive with time. All technologies when introduced are expensive and settle down to an affordable price.

My company is a provider of video-based virtual tours. We chose this route because we are also in the market for a home, and what we were seeing out there in terms of photos, descriptions and "virtual tours" just weren't cutting it.

I personally feel that video is better, and not just because we offer it as a service. Video does warp or bend the image as stitched panoramas, panoramas taken with fisheye lenses and so on do. Video, when done correctly, is able to show more accurate dimensions and depth. I feel that this is a very important aspect of virtual tours. Realtors should want their promotion of the home to be as accurate and true-to-life as possible, so that there are no surprises when potential home buyers actually make it to view the home personally.

I also feel that video will capture more realistic details, such as lighting and colors. Images can be doctored up to look better online (and unfortunately, often are), which will not give the home seeker the most realistic image of the home.

Finally, video is more portable these days. Someone mentioned that Realtor.com now accepts video tours with listings. Video tours can also be distributed throughout a wider network via sites like YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo Video, Veoh, MetaCafe and more. It can even be converted so that it is viewable on mobile devices such as cell phones and iPods. Video is also more easily shared via features like "send to a friend" and social bookmarking. I have yet to see the virtual tours of old display this much versatility. Lets not also forget that video distribution is normally free with these kinds of sites, which helps the Realtor to cut back on spending.

Our company also offers the traditional virtual tours, but only as an interactive add-on to our video-based tours and floor plans (one thing video cannot yet replicate is the ability to be interactive, which is still important to many home seekers). We do this mainly to provide options, so that Realtors who are not as familiar with the use of video in their marketing can still have something they're comfortable using.

I agree, the traditional virtual tours are becoming a thing of the past, though they can still be useful in terms of being an interactive tool. Video is here, and here to stay until the next big thing comes along (we're already on the way there with 3D floor plans and home models). Video is already the #1 online activity, and is fast becoming the preferred media outlet for the younger crown (age 25 to 40) on up to the younger baby boomers. The good thing is that video-based tours don't have to be expensive. They will generally take more time to film than simply shooting photos to stitch together for traditional tours, but they are well worth it when you think in terms of exposure (most of which is free once you have the tour completed). I think pricing at the moment depends on a few factors, mainly time spent filming & editing, type of equipment used and whether there is much competition in the local market.

My suggestion for Realtors that are interested in video-based virtual tours, is to ask questions to help you determine whether the pricing offered by a company is fair in your eyes. Mine is a brand new company, and though there are other virtual tour providers in the area, our immediate market doesn't contain much competition. We've done several things to keep our own costs low, so that we aren't forced to pin high prices on our clients (not to mention, we're new, so building trust by providing good work is what's most important at this point). We use equipment with rechargeable battery packs so that we do not have to continually purchase new batteries. We also use equipment with a large amount of internal memory (almost as much as our laptops, computers and servers), so that we do not have to continually purchase tapes or mini dv's to film. The things that affect our pricing most are cost of travel to & from the property, time spent filming & editing and bandwidth for hosting the tours. These are, I feel, factors that will naturally affect pricing on any tour.

We've also developed a pricing system that isn't on a "per hour" basis. We take into account a set amount for travel (which has gotten quite expensive in some cases), and then a set amount per square foot (generally $.05 per square foot, takes the place of charging on the basis of time). This makes pricing a little easier to understand and doesn't seem as if we're pulling random amounts out of the air because they sound good to us.

So if you feel it necessary, ask what kind of equipment your potential virtual tour provider(s) use and whether it dramatically affects pricing. It might also be a good idea to ask how they determine their pricing and what measures they take to keep costs at a minimum. There are things virtual tour providers shouldn't have a problem answering if they feel their products & services are priced fairly.

Hope that helps some!

-Real Estate 360

As a consumer looking for a house, I won't even talk to an agent who could not be bothered putting video of the house on their site.

The new generation of home buyers like me are more tech savvy and video is a must!