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Have a discussion with a Broker and Realtor(r) about various issues related to real estate. Enjoy Michael's random thoughts about Real Estate and the changing market, or what Michael likes in the Los Angeles area... Michael works primarily in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita, and Simi Valleys and in the West Los Angeles and surrounding area of Los Angeles... Serving your real estate needs in Encino, Tarzana, Agoura, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Calabasas Park, Reseda, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, Chatsworth, Canoga Park, West Hills, Winnetka, Northridge, Van Nuys, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Burbank, Granada Hills, Mission Hills, Arleta, Pacoima, Sylmar, Panorama City and the rest of the San Fernando Valley; Valencia, Stevenson Ranch, Saugus, Newhall, Santa Clarita, Canyon Country and the rest of the Santa Clarita Valley; Simi Valley; Moorpark; Newbury Park; Conejo Valley; Westwood, Century City, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Santa Monica, Culver City, Mar Vista, Rancho Park, Cheviot Hills, Beverlywood, Miracle Mile, West Hollywood, and West Los Angeles. We've got your Real Estate Needs Covered!!

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Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted at 3:10 PM, Feb. 8, 2007

It seems that every day there's a new technology tool for real estate. How long ago did we start putting listings on our web sites, then adding photos so buyers could see the home's features? Then virtual tours were the new thing, and with them our clients got an even better sense of the home. 

Now it's video tours like this one, complete with background music, professional voice-over, and a sense of walking through the house. Are the new videos an improvement? I believe so.

·        Virtual tours string together a selection of static photos, sometimes zoomed in or out, but each image is a single perspective.

·        Video tours add movement so that viewers feel as if they are actually walking through the house, moving from room to room. The camera sweeps around a room just as a person would look from side to side.

·        While virtual tours can include background music and printed captions, video tours include a human voice pointing out the features of a home, inside and out. Through choice of words, tone, and inflection, the voice adds an emotional component that is missing in the virtual tour. By coordinating the voice tone and speed with the background music and the style of the home, you can convey a more complete image.

Professional Realtors® have to be students of human nature and communication. We know that some people remember best what they see, others remember what they hear. Video home tours are memorable because they combine both senses.

Will video replace virtual tours? Not right away. We haven't stopped putting photos on our web sites or printing brochures, either. But video is certainly going to be a part of marketing in the future, and something that I think our clients will appreciate.

So here's the question:  Are you using – or do you plan to use – video house tours for your listings?

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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Maureen McCabe at 5:13 AM, Feb. 9, 2007

Congratulations on being the RT Blog of the day on the 7th! 

I don't like the spinny old fashioned tours.  I would rather just look at a pleasant slide show.  Video tour?  In my market I think it is over kill for the property prices, just one more gimmick to differentiate yourself... more power to the providers and agents who choose to use them. 

Again congratulations on the honor.    

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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Michael Trust at 7:04 AM, Feb. 9, 2007

Thank you Maureen for the honor. :-) Coming from you, that's a high compliment.  We'll see if having the video makes any differnce - ultimately, all that matters is wehther the place seller or not; that's the ultimate ROI for something like this. Thanks again. Best, MIchael Trust Michael Trust Realty www.MichaelTrustRealty.com

Edited by mtrust on February 9, 2007 at 7:44 am
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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Karen Ginter at 3:07 PM, Feb. 13, 2007

Michael, I believe Video Technology is definitely our future.  I am a realtor in the Western New York area.   In my experience I have found that the majority of today's buyers and sellers are cruising the Internet for homes and "feeling out" pricing in their neighborhoods long before they ever contact a realtor.   And they are so proud of the knowledge they gain in doing so !  It is my feeling that virtual tours and the like have vital importance in drawing in and captivating the Internet savvy buyers and sellers in today's market.  This sort of person will connect well with (and most likely ...make first contact with) a realtor with an entertaining and virtually informative web presence, because it is an adventure to them !  I am also using video e-mail to connect with buyers and sellers.  It is an effective way to get your face "out there" in a unique way, and is affordable, easy and fun.  Karen Ginter
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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Michael Trust at 3:34 PM, Feb. 13, 2007

Thank you, Karen. I'd love to know more about your video email.

Best regards,

Michael Trust

Michael Trust Realty

www.MichaelTrustRealty.com

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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Terri Champlin at 1:28 PM, Mar. 5, 2007

Michael,

Good post!

I think video will expand and be a useful marketing tool.  Photos, virtual tours, and now video tours and podcasts are all bandwidth driven.  As more and more consumers get higher and higher speed Internet connections they will be demanding more from us. 

However, in this drive to produce effective marketing to new buyers, lets not forget that many seller may not be computer savvy.  So our marketing and presentation methods must accommodate both types of consumers.

Terri Champlin

 

 

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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Michael Trust at 4:04 PM, Mar. 5, 2007

Thanks, Teri. Hope you are well. I agree - different mediums depending on the audience.

Michael Trust

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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Chris Segovia at 11:52 PM, Mar. 5, 2007

Solid article, Michael. I absolutely agree that video is an excellent way to show a home to prospective buyers. It's also a great tool to pull out when explaining to potential seller's how you plan on marketing the home.

Blogging allows a professional Realtor to have a voice on the web, share opinions, build an audience, with the hope that you ultimately are creating relationships with potential clients. Podcasts take it to another level, adding audio first which gave a Realtor more credibility as a true real estate consultant and not just a salesperson. To me, that's something we never had with just photographs and real estate content that's similar throughout most sites. Now, it's video, which in my humble opinion establishes each Realtors "uniqueness" if you will.  If it's not their voice while filming a video listing, having video of yourself on your site, possibly discussing certain real estate topics, neighborhood profiling, market data, etc. brings a well rounded natural human element into the picture giving your audience an actual feeling of connection (or not in some cases). It also may eliminate some of the initial discussions you may have with a buyer or more specifically some of their own questions about you because they feel that they already know you. They know about your history because you've shared some of this with them in a video bio, they are more informed on 1031 exchanges because you educated them with this media format which at this point in the game, adds the ultimate human element that many potential contacts might normally pass by.

Now that they have a voice, a picture and substantial information of value to grab hold of, it changes their perspective and the way they would normally interact with you if they were simply contacting you about a property of interest because they saw some photos and read a basic description.

The Internet will constantly evolve and it's difficult but very important to choose a just a few things that help you to become a great Realtor. It's way too easy to get caught up with too many products on your plate and I've definitely been guilty of that in the past. Now that I've stripped away most of it and starting over with a custom website I plan to add these tools and hopefully make an impact in my small area of the world's real estate market on the Monterey Peninsula (Carmel, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Monterey and more coastal cities of California).

Last thing that I think is important to mention is to remember that while some people are visual, others are audio driven. But hey, if it's video, which again just my opinion - doesn't need to be perfectly edited, just include more raw content, short length and clean clips, then this should cover both audio and video and will put you on a new path in the right direction that your clients will greatly appreciate!

Visit my blog at: http://activerain.com/csegovia

If you're interested in Mortgage related information, my wife also writes on Active Rain and her link is: http://activerain.com/juliasegovia
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re: Video Overtakes Virtual Tours?

Posted by Michael Trust at 5:20 PM, Mar. 6, 2007

Chris,

Excellent post, thank you so much for taking the time to reply in such detail. I completely agree with you. And, I think you have some great ideas. Maybe you're in the wrong business - maybe you should be selling us sites and marketing products.

Thanks.

Michael Trust

Michael Trust Realty

www.MichaelTrustRealty.com

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