One thing that often confuses me is the way Agents are always trying to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Many try a variety of things just to impress potential vendors, some get it right, but all too often it just falls flat on its face. This has always been my problem with VR Tours.
VR Tours are really pretty simple things to pull off. Just get a tripod, a good camera – take a few photos, stitch them together, create the file and upload to your website.
However as with anything like this, there can be a big difference between great quality and the type of thing little cousin Johnny puts together for you.
Another problem is that there are a growing list of companies emerging that provide these services to agents, either because agents are either too busy or too lazy to do these things themselves. The cost of getting a third party to do these things can be pretty high, this is because they need to travel to the site to create the images, travel back to the studio to create the file and upload it to the servers.
So where are we going with VR Tours?
Nowhere fast! I have seen some good ones from companies like Sarah Lorden but good ones are hard to find. The other problem is they can really only be created in QuickTime or Java and this means the site user needs this program and many site users do not have them (particularly Java).
This is why I believe that Movies will take over VR Tours – Here is why.
Apple Apple Apple Mini Mini Mini
Apple has just released the Apple Mini, (pictured above) – basically an stripped down Apple Mac, but with one of the greatest software/systems I have ever set my paws upon.
Simple System
The system is tiny, it has no keyboard, mouse or monitor – you simply plug it into your existing peripherals (keyboard, monitor, mouse) and away you go. It is setup for ease of use and the operating system is a joy to work with.
Simple Software
The great thing about the system is the software you receive – iLife (pictured above with the Panther OS) This software allows you to import your movies and create a movie, add sound effects such as a voiceover and create different versions such as a broadband version of your movie and a smaller version for dial up users.
Simple Steps
Create Movie – So this is how it works, you get a good quality video camera and a tripod, you go to the home and shoot your movie room by room.
Edit Movie – Now you get back to your office, plug in your camera and import the movie into your iMovie program (part of the iLife suite).
You should start by creating a set of images for your title and end credit, such as your logo with the address of the property. Your end credit should be an image of your logo, salesperson and contact details.
The beauty of creating a movie is that you can edit out certain shots of the vendors property that may not like people to see. You then finish the movie and dump it out in a variety of formats and sizes. You can then add a voice-over to the movie and you are finished.
Simple Simple Simple
But what impresses me the most is just how easy this software package is to use. My mother could even do it! I would say the whole editing process would take less than 30 minutes, depending on how much you wanted to achieve and how much detail you wanted to go into.
Finally
I really think this is the future, as each day goes by more and more people will have broadband and it gives truly impressive results.
I have never been a real Apple fan and the only reason I suggest this package is that it is just so simple to use.