Virtual Tours for Easier, Faster, and Better Real Estate Marketing

Jul 28, 2018

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We have all heard the old adage that real estate is the fastest way to create wealth. My guest, is a friend and community member who was involved in the real estate industry when he saw a pain point and decided to do something about it. He had the vision and skill set to create a tool that makes it easier to market real estate across the industry from selling, renting, residential, and commercial.

VirtualTourCafe is a tool that helps real estate marketers create websites, virtual tours, and flyers easier, faster, and better. Tim talks about all of the benefits of his tool from being more cost effective to the real savings of selling or renting faster. He also talks about staging, photography, his book, and virtual staging. He even shares a story where a seller was going to give up, then tried the virtual staging tool and sold the property in a week.

You can find Tim here:

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Show Notes

[01:08] VirtualTourCafe is to help people involved in real estate to better market their properties. Tools, presence, and exposure.
[02:02] This is a system that makes things easy for people who aren't tech savvy. Creates property websites, virtual tours, and flyers.
[02:49] People can log into their own account and create tools that will help them do things fast and easy.
[02:55] Tim also wrote How to Photograph and Market Houses to Sell Fast.
[03:16] He wrote this book in response to people's questions about how to get the best pictures for their listings.
[04:12] Tim was affected by the crash of 2008. This gave him an opportunity to rethink what he was going to do with his life, and he got into real estate.
[04:43] He noticed other agents needed help photographing and marketing their properties.
[04:50] He had a lightbulb moment and decided to automate the process.
[05:02] It took a team of developers and programmers about six months to launch VirtualTourCafe back in 2008.
[05:26] Now they have users in every state and several different countries.
[05:34] What is virtual staging? How does it work?
[05:47] They just launched RealEZPhotoFix. Virtual staging is taking a digital photo and adding furniture to make it looked staged.
[07:35] It is okay for realtors and real estate agents to use virtually staged photos as long as they disclose the fact.
[07:57] In real estate, it's all about disclosure especially if you are licensed.
[08:36] Physically staging homes can cost thousands of dollars.
[08:57] A digitally staged photo is $32.
[09:38] Some buyers have a hard time visualizing what the room will look like. Having the perception of what it will look like can increase sales.
[10:18] The real value is being able to sell the property quicker.
[11:45] This techniques enables sellers to get the property on the market while it is still being prepared.
[12:23] They can do 3D rendering and finish a room that is under construction. They can also be clutter a messy room.
[13:17] When taking pictures, level the camera and keep it straight.
[13:54] Lighting is also very important. Turn on all the lights and take photos that aren't facing the window.
[15:15] Put the toilet seats down.
[15:32] With furniture less is more. Get rid of as much as you can.
[16:58] Take a shot of the front of the house with some blue sky.

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