4 Things to Consider When Evaluating Advanced Virtual Tours

The following is an excerpt from RE Technology's latest Success Guide:

Whenever you buy anything, the focus should be on value and not price. And when it comes to software for your real estate business, the best tool is the one that you love to use and the customer service that you get. These truths ring loudly when it comes to advanced virtual tours. Here are four things you should look for when considering a virtual tour provider.

Photographer's Technology Expertise

Unless you are a pretty serious photo hobbyist, capturing advanced virtual tour scans should be left to the professionals. Be sure that you are working with a photographer that has experience with the advanced virtual tour solution that you are planning to use, or request a referral from your vendor to get a list of local photographers.

Turnaround Time

You only have one opportunity for a first impression. It is vital that you insert your virtual tours into your MLS listing when you are building the listing. The moment the listing goes active in the MLS, serious buyers who have saved searches in the MLS are immediately notified that a new listing matches their search criteria. Nationally, MLS systems send out over 100 million emails to consumers each month. It is your first shot to get your beautiful marketing in the hands of the hottest buyers. If your MLS requires you to input your listing within 48 or 72 hours of signing the listing agreement, make sure that your tour provider can support this timeline.

Branded and Unbranded Tours

Be sure that your vendor provides you with both branded and unbranded tours.

Licensing

Who owns the photos and the tour? For the most part, the photographer or the company that they work with own the media that they capture. Take a careful look at the license agreement to see what rights you have as a licensee. You want to make sure that there are no restrictions for you to use the tours in all of the ways you plan to use them. For example, some companies limit the use of the tours after the homes have been sold. Also, if you care about the photographer using the photos in other ways, that is a discussion that you should have—especially if your seller has particular concerns.

Download Success Guide: Advanced Virtual Tours to learn more about virtual tour trends, how to evaluate a virtual tour, and more.