Real Estate Video is NOT the consumer choice.

I hope this real estate video works...hope the lighting is ok...it costs a lot...

where does it go?...who is seeing it?...does this really work?

(clipart courtesy of clipartheaven.com)

Sellsius offers up a late serving of turkey with a video from Brian Copeland , a Realtor in Nashville. (His blog, Nashville and Beyond, has decent content and some pretty funny and fun things things to know about the area.)

Even though the market forces have virtual tours as the leading form of RE marketing-over a million buyers a month visit Obeo-once more we have to hear how RE web video is the way to go.

My reply at Sellsius:

Brian,

Virtual tours are the most widely used form of web RE marketing; this is what the consumer wants because this is where the consumer money is being spent.

Video tours do not work for most listings because:

-Video tours are not aggregated or distributed effectively on the web.
-Video tours lack visual quality: most RE video is poor to average.
-Video tours are not cost effective for most listings.

Obeoman
steven.stearns@obeo.com

Virtual tours are the leading form of marketing properties on the web:
Sellers list with Realtors who sell,and Realtors who sell are using millions-perhaps billions, worldwide - virtual tours to market listings.

Because it is cost and labor intensive, RE web video remains a niche tool for luxury listings, unique locations and as a marketing tool for funny, charismatic or extremely dynamic Relators or agencies.

By the way, keep an eye on the blog here - in the coming weeks, Obeo will be showing you why virtual tours are and will remain the best way to market any property on line or anywhere. How buyers love virtual tours, and sellers love them, too.

Buyers want to own their home when they see it on line.

Obeo will help them do that, and more.


I gotta go sell something!

Obeoman

steven.stearns@obeo.com

Mhaaaaa..the mAgicK BuS!..and a thank you across the bow.

...Real work has been interfering with my blogging, but not my desire to blog. I apologize again to all my readers and 5-second looky-loos (according to Google analytics) for my absence, the topics that never were covered or properly expanded on and the generally lame attempts at being a bad real estate blog.

Meanwhile, back at the blog:

...I would love to be on the Sellsius bus, so to speak - the requisition has been made through the proper channels and a response is forthcoming in the next 24-36 hours.

...of course, if Teresa Boardman, Pat Kitano, JimmyZ, ZIllow, niknik, Joel Burlsem, REBlogGirl, JeffX, MaureenFrancis and Inmannews would offer me $300 dollars not to place my face on the bus..., well?????

By the way:...Joel has been a busy man lately pushing web RE video. He looked really Gen-Neutral during his Inman interview. His is a worthy cause for those selling digital video equipment - but likely not a great marketing solution for most single listings for Realtors.

Here is why:

Video Tours Lack Traffic and Aggregation: If you Alexa the companies that are doing RE video and stack them up, the traffic pile is not as deep as you-know-who-E-O. Video works great for building affinity for a community, a charismatic Real Estate agent/team or for showcase properties where the money is there to support video production values.

Video Tours are Tooooo Linear: They drag you though a property like a bull with a ring through its nose. Plus you usually have to look at some broker or agent hind quarters, making you feel like a sled dog.

Video Tours Lack Production Values: As a photographic mentor once told me, you cannot make chicken salad out of chicken guano. Find me ten RE video tours - done by agents or brokers at any site anywhere on the web that have any production values at all and I will eat this blog. The vast majority of RE video tours are so poorly executed with lousy lighting, fuzzy focus, shaky shooting, poor panning and awful audio it really isn't any wonder why this hot new trend is flailing to sizzle-yes, flailing.

EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS:

... to Voyager International, a kind-of competitor: Hey! You spelled Obeo right! And it's great to know our name leads on your web page presentation. Just so you happy-go-lucky gang of marketing mash-ups know:

-We are tops with Realtors in the NAR Vertical Metrix : money follows market leaders, and Realtors know their money works hardest with us.

-Obeo posts the vast majority of its tours on 4 days.

-And sorry about your traffic accident: One of my current clients has had a tour with you at Kayyah and the listing has been viewed 38 times since 09/06/2006. Get well soon !

More later, if you can stand it...

Steve