Help You Sell Your Home The Quick And Easy Way?
A 2010 study from the American National Association of RealtorsTM (NAR) revealed 90% of home seekers begin their hunt on the internet. So the first step to attracting the
highest number of serious potential buyers to your house, townhouse, condo, or mansion, is to develop an amazing online tour.
You've probably heard the statement:
Before the internet started getting popular in 2000, every real estate agent made each property they're selling, which is called the listing, curb appeal to compel the largest number of
drive-by prospects to check out the house from the street.
To do this, the agent would ask the homeowner to tidy the yard, cut and water the grass, trim the plants and trees, paint the front door and the fence, wash the windows and curtains, and so on.
If you sold a house in those days, you might have done the same thing. That's because you wanted to persuade as many potential buyers and their agents as possible to call you and arrange
for personal viewings. The more people you could bring inside the house, the greater your chance of getting offers. And the more competing offers you received for it, the higher price it would fetch.
Although curb appeal is still important today, it's only a fraction as valuable as it was then.
Why?
There are two reasons:
First, more people have moved from houses to condos and apartments.
Second, because 9 out of 10 individuals look for their next homes on the internet, and they will check out the properties in person only if they like the online tours.
This means you must have a fabulous online tour for your house if you want to inspire as many potential buyers as possible to visit it physically.
If your online tour isn't engaging, you'll receive only a few or even no showings no matter how magnificent your house's curb appeal is.
Before showing you the elements of an amazing online tour, let us first explain...
If you're like many people, when you hear the words, "virtual tour," you probably think of one that consists of photos stitched together in a circle, giving you a 360-degree view of a room or area.
A 360-degree tour is also referred to as a panoramic tour, and it's the most common type of virtual tour because it has been around for many years.
Although this type of virtual tour shows a different and more in-depth perspective of a room or area than still photos, it has one huge drawback.
Think about your most recent visit to an open house or one you (or your agent) conducted.
Did you (or did you see anyone) stand in the middle of the room or yard and view it by turning your whole body in a circle?
We bet you didn't.
You (and most people) don't look at a room or area of a property like that because it isn't natural for you to spin in a circle like a top. You may get dizzy when watching these kinds of 360-degree tours, and so they aren't as effective as you might have been led to believe by some real estate agents or the companies that provide them.
Another popular kind of virtual tour is one displaying still photos with zooming or panning capability. You can move to the left or the right or zoom in or out of the picture. While this type of virtual tour reveals more details about each location of the property than still photos, it doesn't give you and, more importantly, your potential buyers, the feeling of being there in person.
Some agents and the companies that provide this kind of tour actually refer to it as a "video."
When you watch one of these "photos disguised as a video" tours, you know it isn't a true video.
A real video has full motion, which means you can see the trees blowing in the wind, the flames flickering in the fireplace, the waves splashing on the beach, or the water sparkling in the swimming pool.
Have you watched a good movie recently on the internet, TV, or in a theater?
If so, we bet certain scenes, such as ones set at a beach, a lake, a mountain, an island, a park, a forest, a sporting event, a wedding, a party, a restaurant, a palace, or a mansion created a lot of emotions in you, causing you to feel as if you were there, right?
A true video tour of a property, when done correctly, can simulate a physical tour better than anything else because it can generate emotions for people, compelling them to imagine walking through the place and even living in it.
When they see the fan spinning from the ceiling, the flames flickering in the fireplace, the flowers swaying in the wind, the birds dancing or singing on a tree, or the waves crashing on the beach, they will likely experience pleasant emotions and visualize being there.
Keep this important fact in mind:
And Justify Their Decisions With Logic!
If you've read some books or attended seminars on selling, you've probably been taught that selling is a transfer of emotions. In other words, you must transmit the positive feelings of your home to your potential prospects before you can persuade them to buy it.
The more pleasing emotions your online tour can produce in your prospects, the greater the chance of them purchasing it.
Let's say your house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a family room, a kitchen, and a large yard.
If they can imagine sleeping in the master bedroom, cooking in the kitchen, playing with their children in the backyard, entertaining their friends in the dining room, and relaxing in the family room, then they will be more likely to consider purchasing your house than if only one or two of these rooms can provide them with positive feelings.
When potential buyers are attached to the home emotionally, they'll be more willing to accept your asking price. And, if there are competing offers, they'll bid the highest amount they can afford and offer the best terms.
On the contrary, if your prospects have no positive feelings tied to the home, they won't purchase it even if your price is below market value.
Since a property, whether a house, townhouse, condo, or mansion, is most people's largest financial acquisition, and is the place where they spend the majority of their time with their loved ones, they want to feel good living there.
Although some individuals do buy properties they have no emotional connections to, such as investors or people who can't afford to purchase the houses they really like, most folks do it only if the homes have produced pleasant feelings for them.
Think about your own situation?
Chances are good that you bought your current home because you and your loved one connected with it emotionally. And you're selling it now because those emotions have diminished significantly or even disappeared completely, or you're upgrading to a nicer, larger home that can provide you with even more satisfying feelings.
In short, because a video tour can create emotions in your prospects better than other types of virtual tours, you (or your real estate agent) should set up one for your house, townhouse, condo, or mansion.
While some agents refer to their video tours as virtual tours, a true virtual tour is much more than just a video tour.
Because the purpose of your virtual tour is to simulate a physical tour as closely as possible, in addition to a video tour, you should display lots of large, high-quality photos and plenty of important data about your property on your virtual tour, such as maps, floor plans, interior, exterior and community features, inclusions, and amenities.
When you present all this information in an easy to understand and compelling manner, you'll have...
If you've seen one of our Ultimate Online Home ToursTM, you know it provides potential buyers all the different ways to view the property online (including big, high-resolution photos, an elegant, full-motion video, interactive floor plans, different kinds of maps, and lots of details) before deciding whether to visit it in person.
The ones that come will be extremely serious about buying your property.
We now explain...
Let's pretend this tour belongs to you.
When you first see it, your eyes will probably focus on the captivating header (1), which shows several photos of the house.
The next section is the address (2), which includes the country so international buyers or their agents, as well as prospects who might have found your tour through various internet searches, don't have to figure out where the property is located.
The headline (3) captures your prospects' attention and motivates them to learn more about your home by exploring the visual section (4).
A. The Photos button.
B. The Video button.
C. The Floor Plan button.
D. The Map button.
E. The Share button.
F. The Save button.
G. The Print button.
H. The active photo.
I. The thumbnail (small size) of the active photo.
J. The title.
K. The description.
L. The counter, which indicates the active photo is 1 out of 31.
M. The Next button, which displays the next photo. When the active picture is the last one, clicking this button returns the first image.
N. The Previous button, which displays the previous photo. When the active picture is the first one, clicking this button will show the last image.
O. This button displays the next five thumbnails.
P. This button shows the previous five thumbnails.
Q. This button displays the photo in full screen.
R. The watermark showing the link or URL of the tour.
S. This link shows the photos with an interactive floor plan, which is one of the most useful parts of The Ultimate Online Home TourTM. It will allow you to understand the layout and flow of the rooms and areas in the home quickly and effortlessly.
T. The Help button explains the tour in detail to your prospects.
Let's discuss some of the items in detail.
Clicking the magnifying glass (Q) displays the original size of the photo:
Have you seen such an impressive photo display?
When you first saw it, your eyes focused on the floor plan (6), right?
Looking at the pictures with the interactive floor plan lets you learn about the home quickly and easily.
Viewing the large photo (1) gives you a better understanding of the area (or room).
The thumbnail (2) shows the active picture. Click another thumbnail to display its photo in large size. Clicking the Hide button (3) hides the thumbnails so you can see the bottom of the picture.
You will also see a watermark containing the link or URL of the tour (7) and the Show button (8), which when clicked on will display the thumbnails.
Clicking the Previous button (4) shows the previous 10 thumbnails and clicking the Next button (5) displays the next 10 thumbnails. You can see the thumbnails quickly by scrolling the slider (9) to the right.
If you're like most people, this may be the first time you've come across an interactive floor plan displayed on a full-screen photo. Here's how it works:
The green camera with a light beam is the active one (10) and it shows you the angle of the camera when the photo was taken. Clicking the blue camera (11) displays the following:
Camera (11) is now displayed in green and large size to indicate it's the active one and its corresponding photo is shown (13). The previous camera (12) is displayed in red and smaller size to signify the picture has been viewed.
Clicking the Second Floor tab (14) switches to the second floor and its corresponding thumbnails are displayed at the bottom of the photo.
The camera icon indicates the photo of the stairs was taken from the second floor.
You can switch back to the First Floor by clicking the button on the floor plan (15) or choosing from the floor list (19). Clicking a thumbnail will display its photo in large size and the corresponding camera icon will appear in green on the floor plan. If there isn't a camera, this means the photo wasn't linked or associated to the floor plan.
To hide the floor plan, click the close button (16) or the Floor Plan button (18). Clicking the Floor Plan button (18) again will display the floor plan.
Let's explore the other parts of the fullscreen photo viewer.
Clicking the Info icon (20) displays the title and description of the photo.
If you don't see a description, it means there isn't one for this picture. Click the X to close the window.
Clicking the title (21) displays a list of the rooms or areas. Selecting a particular room/area will show its photo. Clicking the floor list (22) shows the number of floors.
Clicking the Previous button (23) displays the previous photo and the Next button (25) shows the next picture. The counter (24) tells you there are 21 photos for the First Floor and the one shown is the first picture. Clicking the Play button (26) displays the photos automatically every two seconds. To change the pause time between the photos, click the time-selection arrows (27).
Clicking the Floor Plan button (28) displays the floor plan. Clicking the Print button (29) prints the photo shown. Clicking the Save button (30) saves the photo shown.
To Your Online Tour On The Photo
When your prospects save or print a picture, a watermark containing the link to the tour will appear on it. This lets them see the link without having to write it down. If they send the photo to their friends, those people can access the tour quickly and effortlessly.
Most real estate websites don't display the link of the tour on the photos. So if you print or download them, you have to record the link so you can find the tour at a later date. This can take a lot of time and effort if you look at many homes.
Clicking the Share button (31) displays the following:
Your prospects and you can share this home tour with friends by email or on social networking sites. By making it easy to share the pictures of your house with others, more of them will do so, generating extra exposure for it.
Clicking the full screen button (32) exits the full screen mode. Clicking the Hide button (33) displays the following:
The menu buttons are hidden so you can see the top part of the photo. Click the Show button (34) to redisplay the menu buttons.
Let's examine the other features of the visual section of The Ultimate Online Home TourTM.
Clicking S displays...
The interactive floor plan on this page works similarly to the one on the fullscreen photos. The only difference is you can see the entire picture and the floor plan at the same time.
The green camera (1) is pointing toward the front of the house and the photo (2) shows the same direction. The blue camera icons are pointing in various directions to show the angle of the physical camera when the pictures were taken. This allows you to better understand the rooms and areas of the home and how they relate to each other.
Most real estate sites, including those of the top real estate agents in your city, display the photos and the floor plans separately. When you look at a picture of a room or area, such as the bedroom, kitchen, or garden, you can see its location on the floor plan, but you can't tell the direction it was taken. This limits your understanding of the flow of the rooms and the layout of the home.
Our unique online tour solves this problem by showing you the photos and interactive floor plan on the same page.
Clicking the Play button (3) displays the photos automatically every two seconds and the corresponding camera icon will appear in green on the floor plan. If there's no camera, it means the photo wasn't linked or associated to the floor plan.
Clicking the fullscreen icon (4) displays the photo in fullscreen, which we discussed a few moments ago. Clicking the fullscreen icon for the floor plan (5) shows the following:
The green button (1) indicates the floor plan is for the first level. To see the floor plan for the second level, click the blue button (2). Clicking the Photos button (3) displays the photos of the active floor in fullscreen, which we talked about earlier. Clicking the Print button (4) prints the active floor plan and clicking the Save button (5) saves it to your hard drive.
Each floor plan also has a watermark (7) containing the link to the tour. So if your prospects print or save the floor plan, they don't have to write down the link.
Clicking the fullscreen button (6) returns to the side-by-side floor plan and photos page. And clicking the Back button on your browser returns you to the main page of the tour.
Clicking the Video button (B) displays...
Click anywhere on the video to play it. Clicking View Scenes/Chapters (1) shows the following:
If you want to see the Dining Room, simply click the appropriate Play button (1). Slide the scroll bar (2) down to view all the scenes or chapters. You can pause the video by clicking anywhere on its screen. Clicking it again resumes playing.
When the video is playing, putting your mouse pointer anywhere on the screen displays the controls. Slide the button (3) to the right to fast forward and to the left to rewind. You may need to wait 10 to 20 seconds after the video begins playing before you can fast forward because this is the approximate amount of time it takes the video to stream (download) to your browser.
Slide the volume button (5) to the right to increase the volume and to the left to decrease it. Click the full screen button (4) to play the video in full screen.
If the smaller video was playing when you clicked the full-screen button, the video will play in the same order when you switch to the full-screen mode. Click it again to pause.
You have the same options in the full-screen mode as in the smaller-size one. Placing your mouse pointer anywhere on the screen displays the controls.
Slide the button (1) to the right to fast forward and to the left to rewind. Click the full-screen button (2) or press the Escape key on your keyboard to exit the full-screen mode. Slide the volume button (3) to the right to increase the sound and to the left to decrease it. Click Hide Scene/Chapters (4) to conceal the scene or chapter labels shown on the right side of the screen. The text (4) will change to View Scenes/Chapters and clicking it will bring back the scene labels.
The scenes or chapters allow you to view any room or area quickly. For example, clicking Living Room (6) jumps directly to that scene. If clicking on a scene doesn't show it, then that part of the video hasn't been streamed or downloaded to your browser. So wait a few seconds and try again.
Another exhilarating feature of our tour is...
Clicking the link, See the interactive video with an interactive floor plan (2), displays the following:
You can play the video by clicking anywhere on the screen. A few seconds after it begins, you'll see one of the camera icons turns into a flashing blue circle on the floor plan(1) to indicate the location of the scene. When the next scene plays, its corresponding camera will flash, and this process will continue if you watch the video from beginning to end.
After a scene has been played, its camera is shown in green.
You can click on a camera to play the scene for that particular room or area. For example, clicking the camera for the Kitchen (2) shows the following:
The camera in the kitchen turns into a flashing circle while the kitchen scene is being played. Being able to see the room and its location on the floor plan at the same time allows you to understand the flow of the rooms and the layout of the house.
Most real estate sites don't offer video tours. And for those that do, they usually force you to watch the video from beginning to end. Although you can scroll through different parts of the video by moving the control bar to the left or the right, it's difficult for you to locate specific scenes in the video.
While some real estate videos have play lists that let you jump to particular scenes just like our videos do, without the interactive floor plans, your prospects still don't understand the flow of the rooms and the layout of the home as they watch the video. So they have to check the floor plans and then view the video again to figure out where the rooms or areas are located on the property. Worse, if there are no floor plans at all, watching the video may not give them the necessary info they need to decide whether it's worthwhile to see the home in person.
Although there's no substitute for a physical tour, our one-of-a-kind, interactive video tour with the interactive floor plan gives your potential buyers the next best thing to being there in person. Seeing the location of each room on the floor plan as they watch the video allows them to imagine being at the home. And, if they want to see any room again, they can do so quickly, easily, and effortlessly.
The next feature of The Ultimate Online Home TourTM is...
The Floor Plans
The links for 1 and 2 are self-explanatory and we've discussed them with you in detail. Clicking the magnifying glass (3) displays the floor plan in its original size.
Just like each photo has a watermark to make it easy for potential purchasers or their agents to find your online tour, each floor plan image also has one.
The next section of The Ultimate Online Home TourTM is...
The Maps
Clicking the Map button (5) displays Google Maps, which shows a regular map as the default. The other three types of maps are Street View, Satellite, and Hybrid.
Since you're probably familiar with the Satellite and Hybrid formats, we'll discuss only the Street View feature. Clicking the Street View button (A) brings up the following:
As you may be aware, Street View is a feature of Google Maps that provides views from various positions along a road or street.
Many home buyers find Street View valuable because they can see what the house they're considering purchasing looks like from the street and its nearby properties and amenities.
Street View offers transparency and can save time, effort, and money for you, your agent, and your potential buyers and their agents.
For example, let's say a prospect, John Anderson, checks out your tour and feels your house could be suitable for him. Before he sets up an appointment to see it in person, he decides to learn as much about it as he can from your tour. While exploring the map section, he comes across the Street View, which shows your house is located on a corner lot. (You forgot to mention this fact on your tour.)
Since John doesn't like corner lots, he decides not to see your house physically, saving him time and money (on gasoline). As the seller, you also save a lot of time and effort because you don't have to spend hours cleaning and preparing your place to show to a prospect that will not make an offer because he doesn't like corner lots.
You can use Google Street View to screen prospects, so only the individuals who like the exterior of your house and the neighborhood will visit it in person.
The next section of our Ultimate Online Home TourTM is...
The Share Function
After checking out the interactive floor plans, the photos, the video, and the maps of this house, if your potential buyers like it and want their friends or relatives to see it, they can click the Share button and the following will appear:
Clicking the "Email to Friends" link displays this page:
Your prospects and their agents can use this form to send the tour to four people at a time. They also can post the tour link on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and other social networking sites.
The Save Function
Potential purchasers who think your house may be ideal for them can click the Save button to save the tour in the Member's Area on our site. This allows them to find it quickly and easily later. Prospective buyers and their agents can become members for free.
The Print Function
To print the tour, prospects or their agents simply click the Print button.
In addition to the powerful visual aspects (interactive photos, video, floor plans, and maps), The Ultimate Online Home TourTM contains other valuable information about your property such as the description, the dimensions, details about the interior, exterior, and community features, as well as the area amenities.
We'll now examine the details of your house:
The Basic Details
Clicking the info icon (1) displays the following:
By knowing your price is based on a professional appraisal, your prospects or their real estate agents won't wonder whether your house is priced correctly. The more data you provide them, the fewer questions they will have for you or your agent, allowing them to decide whether your property is worthwhile to view in person.
The same thing is true with other details about your house. For example, the condition of the above property is "excellent." Clicking the info icon (2) shows the following:
This extra info allows your prospects to understand the condition of the house better and without having to ask you for it.
The Description
Most sellers and agents have boring descriptions for their listings. Some of them even display the ones they post on the MLS on their sites.
The description below compels potential buyers to visualize living in the house as they read it:
The next exciting section of The Ultimate Online Home TourTM is:
The Rooms And Areas
Clicking the View link under Photos for the Kitchen (1) displays the following:
There are two photos for the Kitchen and they're shown in fullscreen. Clicking the second thumbnail displays the second picture. You can print, save, or share the photos with others by clicking on the buttons. Clicking the fullscreen icon returns to the main page.
The Features Of The Home
Besides learning about the details, rooms and areas of the home, the majority of buyers also want to know about its interior and exterior features.
Not only does The Ultimate Online Home TourTM provide the main interior and exterior features, such as a fireplace and garden, it also shows photos of many items. Clicking the camera icon beside Crown Moldings (1) displays the following:
There are three photos showing the crown moldings and the above is the first one. You can click the Next button to see the other two pictures. Clicking the info icon displays more details about the Crown Moldings.
The Inclusions
Wouldn't it be wonderful to let potential buyers see photos of the items that will stay with the home?
The Ultimate Online Home TourTM does that better than any online or virtual tours you've seen, including the ones by the largest real estate companies.
Clicking the camera icon beside Dish Washer (1) shows a photo of it.
If you're a buyer, don't you agree being able to see a photo of the dishwasher and the other items that come with the home is helpful to you?
Your prospects will find the information useful too.
The Area Amenities
This section displays the amenities in the neighborhood and nearby.
Clicking the camera for Richmond Christian School (1) shows the following:
Clicking "Richmond Christian School" (1) goes to the school's website. Click the Enlarge icon (2) to see the photo in full screen, and click the X (3) to close the window and return to the tour.
Besides seeing the specific amenities that are close to the home, your potential buyers can view other places in the city. For example, clicking Banks on the next page shows the banks and clicking High Schools displays the high schools.
After viewing the photos, video, floor plans, maps, details, description, rooms, features, inclusions, and the area amenities, potential buyers will have all the necessary info to decide whether the house is suitable for them.
If it is, they or their real estate agents can contact your agent (or you if you’re selling your house on your own) to set up a physical viewing.
Only after the prospects have learned everything about your house, do they get to see your agent’s (or your) contact info. And if they still have any questions, they can chat with your agent, Linda,
by clicking the "Click to chat" button. This is similar to the instant messenger in Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail.
Check out the chat windows:
Your agent can see the name and location of your prospect, as well as the number of times he has viewed your tour. If he has given her his email and phone number when he started the chat, she can follow up with him at a later date.
When she isn't available to chat with your prospects or their agents, she simply turns the status to "Offline," which she can also do easily in the control panel on our site.
The prospects who feel your home is suitable for them can make an offer online by clicking the "Make an Offer" button, which displays the following page:
The buyers or their agents, especially those who are from outside your city, state, province, or country, can use this form to submit offers to Linda. And after receiving the information, she can contact them to verify their offers.
In the box marked "Your Contingencies" the purchasers can enter any contingencies they may have. The most common one is probably for a physical inspection to their satisfaction.
If your asking price is at market value and the buyers are working with real estate agents, chances are good that they will offer an amount for or close to it. If you receive multiple offers, your house will likely sell for more than your asking price and the best terms.
The prospects that submit low-ball offers aren't serious about buying your house, or they don't know the market prices of similar properties as yours, or they're investors or bargain hunters.
Your agent can find out which one by contacting them by phone or email.
If you and the buyer can't agree on the price and terms, you won't have to waste time cleaning and preparing your place for their visit and they won't have to spend time and money, especially if they're from out of town, to come for a physical viewing that won't end up in a deal.
There are many advantages to obtaining a price agreement with a potential purchaser before allowing them to check out your house in person. You can read about them here.
Did you notice The Ultimate Online Home TourTM allows your prospects to focus completely on learning about your house?
There's no advertising or irrelevant stuff whatsoever to distract them.
Most real estate agents' contain information (such as info for sellers, other listings, or advertisements) that can distract potential buyers from learning about your property.
The Ultimate Online Home TourTM makes your house, townhouse, condo, or mansion, which is a product, the star and compels prospects to focus on it totally. The interactive photos, video, and floor plans engage them and provide them with a fun and memorable way to learn about your property.
As mentioned, your prospects and their agents can learn about it on our site just as well as they can in person. So the ones who set up a time to view it physically will be incredibly serious about buying it.
You now understand the primary parts of our Ultimate Online Home TourTM. After checking it out,
you'll likely agree it's different, distinct, and more powerful than any other virtual tours you have seen. Ours provides your potential buyers with the next best thing to being at your property in person.
To The Ultimate Online Home TourTM?
If you're selling your home through an agent and you have seen the online or "virtual" tour he or she has created for you, you probably agree it's only a fraction as powerful as our Ultimate Online Home TourTM, right?
Not only will our one-of-a-kind tour give you the greatest chance of receiving the best price and terms and the quickest sale for your house, townhouse, condo, or mansion, but it will let you
experience the LEAST amount of hassle during your home-selling process.
Imagine living an almost normal life while your home is for sale.
Whether you're selling or are planning to sell your house through an agent or on your own, discover how to achieve your home-selling goal quicker and easier than you can imagine.
~ Patent Pending ~