What is better than a yard Sign

Recently a friend gave me this article that I will like to share with you.
What's better than a Yard Sign? A Virtual Tour!
by Anne Sperling
Broker Agent News E-Letter - Updated for March 11, 2006
It used to be that a yard sign was a Realtor's surest way to attract attention to a listed home. Things have changed!
Today, one of the best tools in a Realtor's toolbox is a Virtual Tour on the Internet. Since 1995, the use of yard signs and newspaper ads per listing have decreased, whereas the use of Virtual Tours by real estate agents have increased from .001% per listing in 1995 to 15% of all listings in 2004. And the numbers in 2005 will follow the same rate of growth. (see below for NAR statistical data).
Contrary to old thinking, the use of Virtual Tours on the internet does not take business from Realtors. Virtual Tours are simply a formidable tool available to savvy Realtors who know that offering a listing prospect a Virtual Tour option not only helps to market any property, it also enhances the image of the Realtor at the listing presentation.
Sellers' suspect that a good Virtual Tour is today's way to catch the attention of house-hunters, and they are right. NAR statistics confirm that 74% of buyers begin their search for homes on the Internet two weeks before they make contact with a Realtor.
If this doesn't sell you on Virtual Tours, note this statistic: Most of these online buyers hire the Realtor they notice first while searching online Virtual Tours. This means that the Realtors who have listings or ads on Virtual Tours are much more likely to attract clients-these numbers make you want to put Virtual Tours online of your doghouse!
Based upon this information, it is not surprising to see that the first Realtor's who gambled and invested in Virtual Tour marketing hit the jackpot. More listings, higher profits, and the highest rate of business growth in our industry correlates to the use of Virtual Tours, whether the market is cold or hot, large or small.
Real Trends, a magazine which keeps statistics in this area, found that the average agent for 2003 produced 11.2 sides. However, according to our latest information, (counting only the listing side) the agent using Virtual Tours to market themselves and their properties had 15.3 listing sides in 2003, and four extra sides alone means thousands of dollars to these Realtors.
Everyday, we in the Virtual Tour industry hear success stories from excited Realtors who tell us of a "big boost" their Virtual Tours gave their business. Sometimes agents report their customers were overjoyed because a Virtual Tour facilitated a quick sale to an online buyer. Often an agent calls us to tell of new clients generated by our attractive, well-placed Virtual Tour.
In an industry where clients are careful about their decisions, at a time when some sellers think Realtors make "too much" money, it is refreshing and exciting to see real emotion and complete satisfaction in clients whose agents delivered the goods. How do you elicit this emotion? By delivering what the client wants, and these days, clients want Virtual Tour marketing.
There is no better way to build your business than a long-list of happy customers who can't wait to tell their friends about the great job you did, and about how beautiful their home looks online.
Business today is created mostly by BUZZ, and if you want the BUZZ to be about you, hang-out a Virtual Tour "online yard sign" on the internet every time you setup a yard sign. It's the best marketing tool money can buy.
A sure bet for increasing profits in 2006 is to add a virtual tour for all your properties.

If you want more information about virtual tours please contact us at 305 331 8960 or at our web page www.virtualfloridarealtours.com