Delaware and Maryland 360 Virtual Tour Company

2010 Tour Summary

2010-11-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

Just the other day I was in the virtual tour TMS and looking at my virtual tour numbers for the year. I like to look at my current year and compare to previous years. As of right now, I am about 38% above last year’s on total number of virtual tours shot from 2009. I thought wow!! How can that be? I thought for awhile trying to figure out why this year is going so much better than last, and came up with a few thoughts.

This year, RTV virtual tour software company launched the new High Definition virtual tours. I tried them out and after a little time of getting them mastered, I started marketing them to my customers. The HD virtual tours were a big hit right away. My customers were very impressed. When the tours look good, the agents look good to their sellers. None of my competition can compare to the quality, and the crystal clear full screen feature.

A few months ago, RTV rolled out their new HD V-Slide. I thought it looked really nice, but after being a tour provider for 8 years, I was a little apprehensive. I am used to doing 360 panoramic tours, not still image photography. RTV promised me that it would attract a crowd of people that I have not yet been able to reach before so I purchased the unlimited HD Slideshow package and put my trust in them.

I had to figure out how I could make money off of this product. I watched a few episodes of The FORMULA that talked about marketing the V-Slides. I watched an episode of The IMAGE which talked about getting creative with the still image photography. And finally like the HD tours, I played with the new technology for awhile to make sure I had the process down before I launched the product in my market.

What happened was truly amazing. This new system and product had a zing for impressing people. In fact, over the last month I've easily recovered my tiny investment and had the pleasure of knocking the socks off of many new prospects. I am promoting my V-Slides at a slightly lower price than my Rehoboth Beach Virtual Tours.

Many agents have started placing orders for V-Slides on properties that they wouldn’t have ordered virtual tours on. Maybe the homes were low priced or not furnished. So my new V-Slides are nicely filling a void for my business and attracting agents that in the past did not want to use 360 tours. Here's a couple recent V-Slides:
http://rtvpix.com/slideshow/4335

http://rtvpix.com/slideshow/5251

Now is the time to take a look at your business for the current year. Compare to previous years. How does it compare? Please comment on this blog and let us know. RTV tells me that most dealers are up over last year. That's fantastic! Are you using the new products to their full advantage of them? If not, start making a marketing plan to implement them in 2011. Between all the new developments that RTV has planned for next year and the improving economy, I can guarantee that you'll be up next year.

Good luck everyone and have a GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON!!

Sincerely,

Graves Care

Delaware Beach's Real Estate Services Company - 360 Property Solutions

2010-09-29T12:16:00.013-04:00

Today, 360 Property Solutions just launched their new website, http://www.360propertysolutions.com/, by Fine Line IT. 360 Property Solutions is a real estate services company located at the Delaware Beaches that handles year round rental management, home watch services, FSBO assistance, and REO asset management. They are the company to turn to for real estate needs that most traditional brokerages won't handle.

They are located in Lewes, Delaware and handle the coastal area of Sussex County and inland. If you are absentee owner, check out their home watch service. They can watch your home in the winter months when you are not using the home. Along with the service is storm preparation, and post storm inspections.

360 Property Solutions has a variety of other services they offer as well. Home management, FSBO assist, and REO asset management for liquidating bank owned assets. These are services not offered by most traditional real estate brokerages. Visit their website and contact them for any information on the services you may need.

Virtual Tours of Building Lots

2010-03-08T23:29:00.002-05:00

Many agents don't think about getting a virtual tour of a building lot. They should. The virtual tour can show a lots view, layout, and what the neighborhood is like. They are a great marketing media. Also lots are posted on Realtor.com. Your tour can get posted on that listing as well. Since we have high definition in full screen, its like standing on location.

I did this tour today for Barbara Morales in Rehoboth Beach Yacht and Country Club. It is on the yacht basin and has great views. Take a look and see for yourself. Be sure to see it in full screen. View the Tour: http://rtvpix.com/RE-8179-E5EM6I-01

360 Visions has been doing lot tours for a while now. We offer them for $50 and you get 2 spins and 2 still shots. Its a great price for what you receive. This comes with your weekly tour stats and a listing on www.beachhometours.com.

HD Full Screen Virtual Tours are Available

2010-03-03T15:03:00.007-05:00

We are a happy to announce that 360 Visions is doing Full Screen High Definition Virtual Tours. These run on flash and load very quickly. At full screen you get an amazingly clear picture. For the month of March we will do your next tour in stunning HD.

Check out this tour in High Definition: http://rtvpix.com/RE-1059-W7AWYY-01

Click on the four arrows pointing out. This will open up to a full screen tour. See for yourself how clear it is. It's almost like being in the the home.

Also be sure to check out www.beachhometours.com. Our new site to help promote your listings. The pages are growing, get your new tour on it now.

This is an example of how your listing will look on the Delaware Beach Real Estate website: http://www.beachhometours.com/towns/rehoboth-beach.html?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=10&sobi2Id=45

Beachhometours.com is Launched

2010-02-25T09:30:00.012-05:00

360 Visions is happy to announce that www.beachhometours.com. This great looking and easy to navigate website was designed and built by FinelineIT. The site is a virtual open house for Delaware Beach Real Estate that is for sale. All the virtual tours are produced by 360 Visions. It is a promotional site for the properties for sale and for 360 Visions clients who are real estate agents. Al virtual tours that 360 Visions does in the beach area will be posted on the website. Because of beachhometours.com, 360 visions is the virtual tour provider beach area real estate agents want to use for virtual tours.

Here is how the site works. A person searching for properties will do a search by the town they are interested in. After a searcher selects a town, an list of properties will come up. The basic information of each listing will displayed. After clicking the address of the property a more detailed decription with be displayed along with the listing agent and their contact information. The virtual tour can be viewed from the results pages and the detailed listing page.

Beachhometours.com is a great place for real estate buyers to search for homes in the Delaware Beach Area. The reason is all the homes have virtual tours where a buyer can see more before they physically tour the property.

Hosting a Webinar with RTV

2010-02-02T15:48:00.002-05:00

Well we took a little break to let you digest part one of The FORMULA Setting up Shop and now the gang is back for more action in part two of this series.

Have you been wondering if you’re setting up your virtual tour company the right way?

Ever ask yourself what you could do right out of the gate to set yourself apart?

Are you a bit confused as to what to do next and where to put your precious company dollars?

Has your business slowed down and are you in need of an overhaul of your virtual tour products and virtual tour service offerings?

Do you just need to put a little more steam into your virtual tour & property marketing sales?

If you answered yes, and you're an RTV virtual tour provider you MUST attend part 2 of Setting up Shop next week for The FORMULA 21.

We have arranged to have guest appearances from Graves Carey of Delaware Virtual Tours http://www.360Visions.com, Alan Fon of Corpus Christi Virtual Tours http://www.IslandDigitalImages.com, Mike Thompson of Detroit Virtual Tours http://www.RealVisionStudio.com and of course Jason LaVanture of Traverse City Virtual Tours and http://www.BlueLaVaMedia.com.

This combined panel has produced a total of 6314 virtual tours with “Kid Dynamite” Graves Carey leading the pack with over 2600 tours produced!

Social Network Your Virtual Tours

2010-01-28T13:16:00.006-05:00

Many of you who are real estate agents are on Facebook and Twitter. A lot of your clients and colleagues are your friends. 360 Visions with the power of RTV have made it easy to post your tours to numerous sites right from the tour. Those little button at the bottom of the Full Tour, which displays your information, and the MLS version make it easy to do.

When you bring up your tour, look at the bottom. Simply click on the button of the website that your are a member to. For example, lets use facebook. When you click on the button it will ask for your username and password, the log you in. You can type in your description and select the thumbnail you want displayed. The click post. It's that easy. You know have your tour on your wall. Most of you will be impressed at the number of hits you get which will be displayed on your weekly stats report.

Once a tour gets posted, you never know where it will end up because of the sharing buttons. Your tours could get emailed or posted by others to social networks or bookmarks. The good thing is that your contact information is displayed, so the view knows who to call for more information about the property. Give it try, and if you have any questions let me know.

Graves Carey
Delaware Virtual Tours
http://www.360visions.com/

Quality Still Shots for Your Listings

2010-01-25T19:57:00.003-05:00

Agents need to maximize their marketing of their listings with virtual tours and still shots. Buyers want to see both. Some real estate buyers qualify a property with the still photos, then look at the virtual tour. Some just look a the tours. Whichever method a buyer uses, the still shots are important, so make them look nice.

The quality of the photo as well as the composition are the most important. I see a lot of property photos on listings that are too dark, or overexposed. Neither look good or help the marketing of the property. Make sure the exposure is correct. A photo editing program can help lighten or darken photos slightly. I have also seen photos of unappealing scenes. Clutter is one of the biggest. Countertops or tables with a lot of stuff on them. This is distracting the the viewer. There are some pictures of half baths with the toilet as the focal point. Believe it not sometimes the seat is up. That just kills me.

360 Visions can help agents with still shots. For a small fee we can take still shots of the property while we take the tour. We can do this for around $30 depending on the size of the home. All the rooms and the exterior of the property will be shot. We touch up the photos to ensure they look great and email them to you with your tours links. If you need high resolution photos, we will put them on a CD and get them to you. This makes it easy for an agent to add all of their visual marketing at one time. The best time to order this package is just before you put in on the market. That way you have everything you need when it gets on the Multiple Listing Service.

If you have any questions about still shots and virtual tours for your listings give us a call or send and email. We will be happy to help.

Graves Carey
Delaware Virtual Tours
http://www.360visions.com/

Why are you Hiding?

2010-01-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

Your relationship with your current and potential virtual tour client is somewhat of a personal one. Most of your business comes from real estate agents. Agents have personal relationships with their clients and vendors. I say this because I look on many virtual tour provider sites and on their about us or contact pages do not display the virtual tour providers name or their photo.

I think some providers are missing out by not displaying this very important information. What are you hiding from?? Real estate agents put their photos on just about every piece of marketing material they utilize from their websites, flyers, business cards, and their virtual tours. This is to develop a face/name recognition and just to show a potential client who they may be meeting or corresponding with.

A virtual tour provider should be no different. I am not saying put your photo on everything, but you should on your site and maybe your flyers and newsletters. Your potential clients want to know who they are dealing with.

At 360 Visions, provider of Delaware Virtual Tours, I am a two man business. I have a part time employee. Both mine and my employee’s name and photo are on the company website. I have a business name, but I am the business, and my clients deal with me personally. They aren’t dealing with a national company, and have to call a toll free number to talk to someone. They call me when they have a question, problem, or need a virtual tour. It’s personal relationship, and photos give clients somewhat a comfort level. When I pass out flyers, I have my photo on it. Agents recognize me after they have seen a flyer or two.

All I am saying is don’t be afraid to put your photo and name on your site and some marketing materials. It is not arrogant or cocky, it’s just a part of effective marketing. You may find people around town, or agents will recognize you and the business you are in. Give it a try. You may be surprised of the results.

Graves Carey
Delaware Virtual Tours
http://www.360visions.com/

35426 BAY SHORE LANE, MILLSBORO DELAWARE REAL ESTATE | Long Neck Delaware Real Estate - Affinity Real Estate

2009-11-17T22:28:00.000-05:00

35426 BAY SHORE LANE, MILLSBORO DELAWARE REAL ESTATE Long Neck Delaware Real Estate - Affinity Real Estate

Click on the link above to view this great home with water views of Rehoboth Bay. This home makes for a great summer retreat or year round living. It is a perfect home for the water enthusiast. Located across the street to the boat ramp and yacht basin. Boat slips are available. The community of Rehoboth Shores MHP has a clubhouse, beach, and pool. Check out the listing on Long Neck Homes and give us a call to see it.

Seasonal Virtual Tours

2009-11-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

Now that the holidays are near, there will be some great scenes to show off. Why not do it with a 360 Visions Virtual Tour. Beautiful holiday decorations attract people. Hotels, restaurants, and bed and breakfasts do an awesome jobs with the seasonal decorations. A high quality virtual tour can show them off. Whether they are interior or outside holiday lights.

For small retail shops, a virtual tour would be great to show off the store as well. They show what your retail shop is like, and what sort of merchandise you carry. With a slow economy, stores are fighting for business. The small cost of a virtual tour offers a huge return in business. It works 24/7 on your site. It can be emailed and sent to social networking sites to get out to the masses.

Give us a call to see how we can help you and your business during the holidays. We would love to discuss with the options and tools to boost business.

info@360visions.com
302-236-9876

Long Neck Delaware Real Estate chooses 360 Visions

2009-06-21T13:35:00.000-04:00

A new website for Long Neck Delaware Real Estate chooses 360 Visions as their Virtual Tour provider. http://www.longneckhomes.com/ is new site for real estate in the Long Neck, Delaware area. The site provides home buyers an easy search for homes, condos, townhouses, and lots and land for sale in the Long Neck Area. The search for all the communities are located on the left hand side of each page. The property detail pages display multiple photos and Virtual Tours.

Affinity Realty is the owner of the site. They are located just minutes from the Long Neck area. They feel that the website and using 360 Visions will help them list more properties in the Long Neck Area. Home buyers want photos and virtual tours when searching for homes on the Internet.

Preparing your home for the Virtual Tour

2009-06-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

I have had many agents and homeowners ask me what they need to do to get their home ready for the Virtual Tour photography shoot. It is really easy. Prepare the home as if it would be shown by and agent. One thing to remember is the Virtual Tour will up and running all the time. Your home should look its best. The purpose of the tour is to entice a buyer to come out and physically view it. Here are some tips to get your home ready for the big day.

Virtual Tour Preparation

Make the most out of your virtual tour by making sure your property looks its best! A virtual tour is an online open house, so get rid of the clutter, and make it sparkle!

Here are some tips to look your best and get our photographer done on time:

Outdoors:
Spruce up your garden and lawn; trim shrubbery, consider planting flowers. Yard and patio should be neat; outdoor furniture should be in good shape. Mow the lawn; make sure the driveway & entryway are free of clutter (toys, bikes, etc.) Winter - keep the sidewalks cleared of snow.

Living Areas:
Remove clutter and tidy up shelves and table tops. Move excess furniture out of rooms. You want the space clean, open, and clutter-free (dog crates, tray tables, etc.). Replace burnt out light bulbs; great photography requires proper light. Vacuum, clean the windows and surfaces.

Kitchen:
Clean off kitchen counters; remove any clutter. Make sure dirty/clean dishes are out of the sink & put away. Empty the garbage can.

Bathrooms:
Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored away. Close toilet lid and empty the garbage. Clean mirrors & glass surfaces. Hang towels neatly from towel bar.

Overall/General:
Clean floors and surfaces look best in photos. Check the basics around the property to make sure it is clutter-free and picture ready. Turn on as many lights as you can when the photographer arrives. Try not to be in the room the photographer is photographing as you may end up in the photo.

The photographer cannot: Move furniture Clean or dust Move garbage Pick up/move clutter (toys, dirty dishes, dog toys, etc.)

For more information about 360 Visions and and tours we produce, pleas visit http://www.360visions.com/

Social Bookmark your Virtual Tours

2009-04-29T15:31:00.000-04:00

Social Networking and Social Bookmarking is growing in popularity. This has been great tool for marketing homes in a difficult market. For a while now 360 Visions Virtual Tours could be bookmarked to some of the popular sites. You had to go under the share tour tab. Now it is easier than ever to do. It is automatically displayed on the tour window without having to click on anything else. You can easily bookmark your tours to Twitter, Mixx, digg it. For those customers who do a lot with the social networking sites like FaceBook, Linkedin, and Friend Feed to name a few. The next time you open a tour from 360 Visions even on the MLS you will see these buttons. Bookmark your tours for better exposure and search ranking.

Spring Has Sprung

2009-04-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

Realtors, now that Spring is here, many homes are coming on the market. Not only that, but homes that have been on the market over the winter are looking their best. This is a great time to get a 360 Visions Virtual Tour done on your listing. The grass is green and the flowers are blooming. Now is the time to get photographs and virtual tours done on your listings. Marketing a home in this challenging real estate market is tough. You want your residential listings shown in their glory. A sunny day with green grass, flowers, and shrubbery looking great is opportune time. This makes the home look appealing to home buyers. Get rid of the brown and sometimes dreary property photos and update with fresh spring ones. Give us a call today to schedule your tour and still photo shoot on your listings. Your sellers will love you for it.

360 Visions
302-236-9876