Which do online real estate tire kickers prefer? I've posed this question before, and according to a recent poll of 500 adults by Obeo, a residential real estate marketing company, photos are a must. More specifically, it was found that "94 percent of all women surveyed said photos of a home would be very helpful in their search for a home while nearly 70 percent said 360-degree panoramas would be very helpful." I'm not sure what the men had to say about the matter as that information wasn't given, but 94% is a pretty staggering number that speaks volumes.
I post this information because, IMHO, many agents and sellers waste money on virtual tours when people would rather scroll through 10 pictures and be done. So why did the women overwhelmingly want pictures over a virtual tour? Shockingly, I have an opinion on the matter. First, we must ask, "what is the purpose of a virtual tour or multiple photos?" To get your happy a** into the home, of course! I want that person scouring the internets for a home at 11:37pm to see one of my listings and say to themselves, "I want to see this home!" And then send me an email or call their Realtor up and say, "Meet me at this house tomorrow!" Multiple photos can accomplish this without a virtual tour - which may or may not take 30 seconds (about 7 hours in internet time) to load. Whereas, you can click through 10 photos in less than a minute and get a good "feel" for the home. And when you're sifting through 168 homes in East Dallas between $300 and $400K, who is going to wait for a tour to load?
And don't even get me started on bad photos. Or even worse, no photos.
Which do you prefer?
