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One of the latest trends in real estate photography recently has been the virtual tour. While I have done them, I personally am not too happy with the end result. Let me tell you why.

While a virtual tour will give you a view of a room from what appears to be a central point, it is really not much more than some slick software that connects a series of pictures into a panorama. They frequently will distort the image of the room and depending on what lighting was used, they may very well make the tour look really amateur.

There really is no need to do a virtual tour if you have video capability. Videos are much more impressive as you can walk the client through the property – it is almost as good as going to the property in person.

Technology expertise, or the ability to hire the expertise, should always be in the Realtors tool box. It is incredibly important to stay on top of the trends so you will always have the competitive edge.

Why not take advantage of the global internet. You-Tube offers free hosting and global searches. Or place these video tours on your own website with accompanying pictures. Video captures will also increase your web search ranking with Search Engine Optimization. This is to say that your website will rank very high when basic searches are done on Google, Yahoo, or MSN. The newest up and coming technology is from Apple The I-Phone/I-Pod/and I-Pad family is expanding. It is estimated that there will be a rapid expansion of this type of access to the tune of over 6 million users per quarter. This is great news, except that most virtual tours are in a format that is not compatible with Apple products.

Mobile browsing has had a major impact on the technology that Realtors should be using in 2010 – move away from Flash, move away from virtual tours – embrace video it will do nothing but good for your realty business.

While it is easy to get yourself a movie camera and take the video yourself, keep in mind that if your video is somewhat reduced in quality. This reflection will be on you. So it is indeed wise to take advantage of some one else’s skills and let a professional provide the top rate video that will contribute to your success.

As always, your thoughts and ideas are always important, feel free to contact me directly.

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