Keepin' it Real
Posted in Real Estate Marketing By danielle masterson, Wednesday, September 10, 2008.Sometimes, a pair of shoes looks better in a catalog than on your feet. Buyer’s remorse is common even when it comes to choosing a home. Virtual tours, images and video are all polished to the point that an open house can look as bad as those shoes just unboxed. Rexcheck.com allows real estate agents to make real videos, or mindcasts, of properties for sale. With any mobile phone or camcorder, a real estate agent can email you a home unvarnished. No travel and no disappointment - just save time and watch the real deal. Here’s how Rexcheck.com can help you:
-Use the search box to find properties you are looking for
-Help us find better properties by voting on the ones you like
-Leave a comment on the properties you like and don’t like
Very little editing is done to give you the sense of walking through an Open House with a real estate agent talking to you. “We have received positive feedback from over fifty real estate agents who understand that consumers are more savvy and do not want to waste their time with embellished virtual tours or photo-shopped pictures” Nii Addo, Managing Director of Universal Admedia LLC , the company behind Rexcheck.com stated in an interview. Building developers like Ron Ruby of Weichert,Realtors© First Chicago agree stating that this is “a unique service that benefits property owners at no cost to them, by filming a personalized tour of properties and making it easy to distribute to clients and prospective purchasers”. How real does it get? Take a tour for yourself at Rexcheck.com and see properties like 600 Lakeshore Drive presented by Royal Fisher. Walk in a River North penthouse at 200 West Grand presented by Danielle Masterson. Convinced? Then request a mindcast next time you are house hunting. It will save you time and gas money.
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Submitted by Jay Groccia on September 10, 2008 - 11:46am.
Great....just what we need. Just when I thought real estate videos couldn't get any uglier, along comes this.
I can see it now, jittery, wobbly, dark, and fuzzy images, that are guaranteed to make a house look ugly. Yeah, that will make the phone ring right off the hook!
Here's my 2 cents: If you've got an ugly house, fine, go ahead and make an ugly video - what harm can it do??? However if you have a beautiful home, why ugly it up? Last time I checked, Revlon was still using beautiful women in their ads.
Jay Groccia, Principal Photographer
OnSite Studios
http://www.OnSiteStudios.com
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com
Submitted by Chris Adams on September 10, 2008 - 12:54pm.
Jay,
It's true that consumers run from a bad experience.
It seems that most consumers (and users) of these services really want to know where they are being seen and by whom-syndication.
Regardless of the visual quality of on line listings
that is likely the next bleeding edge.
Steven Stearns
www.obeo.com
http://obeoman.blogspot.com
262-325-8687
Submitted by David Bonyun on September 10, 2008 - 12:59pm.
I agree with Jay . . . and I agree with Danielle.
Listings should always have photographs. They download faster, its easier to adjust for light and they are great for stimulating interest in a property. (An this is coming from a professional videographer)
The videos I saw on Rexcheck may benefit a realtor who has an existing relationship with a client. For Web distribution you run the risk of alienating the viewer very quickly.
The typical viewer finds the listing, looks at the photos then looks at the video. It is all about giving the viewer tools that encourage transparency. The photos show the home in the best light. The video adds narration, music and shows the layout of the home.
However, just as you would not go to a job interview in your Saturday work clothes, you should not show a home with poor quality audio and shaky camera work. Yes, it can be done, but it won't look professional and will most likely hurt you in the end.
David Bonyn
Homesonfilm.com
Submitted by Ken Smith on September 10, 2008 - 1:02pm.
I am in agreement with Jay.
Do wonder exactly how many times is this site going to post something about their services. Nothing of value has been added, just ads for their website.
Ken Smith
Chicago Homes | Elgin Real Estate
Submitted by Jason Graves on September 10, 2008 - 1:27pm.
I looked at Rexcheck or whatever you call it and was unimpressed. I have watched YouTube and been unimpressed. There aren't a whole lot of virtual tours that are worth a hoot, either. The most effective tool I have found are professional, staged photos that are plentiful and well lit accompanied by written well thought out, written descriptions.
The videos I saw made the agents look silly and didn't show the property well. The websites sell ads to Realtors trying to capture leads using our information and then sell them back to us.
If you have ever walked into a kitchen and said "This is the kitchen," then you might be a Realtor. know what I mean?
Jason B. Graves
Raleigh, NC
www.RaleighRealEstateNews.com
www.JasonBGraves.com
Submitted by Joan Lorberbaum Moore on September 10, 2008 - 2:07pm.
Visited the site and I'm still dizzy. No way will this replace professional videos or professional photos.
Joan Lorberbaum Moore
Broker Associate, GRI
Lang Realty
9858 Clint Moore Road
Boca Raton, FL 33496
www.boca-delray-boynton.com
Submitted by Jay Groccia on September 10, 2008 - 4:40pm.
Well, I just watched 8:30 of a 17 minute video - I just couldn't take it anymore. My favorite line, "as you can see it has a superfluous amount of apace."
FYI: Here is how I photograph a home over $2M:
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com/showcase/10240
Maybe I'm nuts, but isn't the reason we do this is to make people want to visit the home???
Jay Groccia, Principal Photographer
OnSite Studios
http://www.OnSiteStudios.com
http://www.OnlinePropertyShowcase.com
Submitted by David Bonyun on September 10, 2008 - 5:45pm.
That's beautiful work Jay. I like how you include the 360 aspect.
Submitted by danielle masterson on September 11, 2008 - 7:29am.
Thanks to all of you who left comments. I joined a group that specifically reviews websites and can't even get them rate anything, so thanks for the feedback! As always, feel free to leave your comments at the actual Rexcheck website too.
Just out of curiosity, Jay, why was that your favorite line? I personally like the statement about grillin' and chillin'.
Submitted by Fred Light on September 22, 2008 - 8:24pm.
Wow.
I'm speechless. I can't even understand the person (broker, owner, actress...?) What is she saying? What are they thinking here?
The sad thing is they're marketing homes that cost hundreds and hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars with worse quality than most YouTube videos. Go to Kohlers website and you will see a far more professional video promoting a $200 toilet.
That's the reality of the real estate biz I'm afraid......
Real Estate Video Tours
http://www.NashuaVideoTours.com
Submitted by Fred Light on September 22, 2008 - 8:24pm.
Wow.
I'm speechless. I can't even understand the person (broker, owner, actress...?) What is she saying? What are they thinking here?
The sad thing is they're marketing homes that cost hundreds and hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars with worse quality than most YouTube videos. Go to Kohlers website and you will see a far more professional video promoting a $200 toilet.
That's the reality of the real estate biz I'm afraid......
Real Estate Video Tours
http://www.NashuaVideoTours.com
Submitted by OpenHouseDealer.com on September 23, 2008 - 11:57am.
Hello,
I tried to log on to your site but all i got was a error massage.
David Yusupov
Tel#: 646 226-9738
www.OpenHouseDealer.com