Questions and Answers

Is Columbia Mortgage Virtual Tours and NWPixs the same Company ?

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL TOUR ?
- the Technology
- the Tour
- the Processing
Why does my listing need a Virtual Tour?
- what can a Virtual Tour do for me ?
the NWPixs Advantage
- Testimonials
Pricing
Placing an Order
Needed Software & Downloads
Support and Contact Information
Photographers
Home Page

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL TOUR?

A Virtual Tour is an online interactive tour that simulates a real-life open house tour. It can be anything from a video recording to several still shot pictures merged together. A Virtual Tour is far more effective than still shot photos because it can give the viewer the feeling of actually being at the tour location without ever leaving the comfort of their home. In real estate, this can prove to be a very effective marketing tool, as it enables consumers to actively view many different properties efficiently and accurately. A virtual tour should not be used as a substitute for a real tour, though it is a great tool for perspective consumers to narrow down their purchase options. Columbia Mortgage Virtual Tours uses the most premier single shot 360-degree technology to create the highest quality virtual tour available.

With NWPixs Virtual Tours your listing will be marketed 24 hours a day until it sells! It is because of this constant exposure that our virtual tours can help both buyers and sellers alike in achieving what they desire from their real estate agents.

 THE TECHNOLOGY

At NWPixs we use the most up-to-date technology to create a product that best represents the homes we photograph. To do this, we use an EGG lens that incorporates sophisticated 360° imaging optics and powerful unwrapping software for our Digital Cameras. This combination of hardware and software allows us to capture a high resolution donut shaped image which is then unwrapped using software into a full 360° panoramic image. These images can then be navigated on the web or within new media applications with the click of a mouse. Pan, tilt, links, and digital zoom capabilities are built right into the tour software, which is at your fingertips for easy use. On the right you can see what one of these donut-like photographs looks like before our software unwraps it. Click on the image to enlarge it. Click on the link below it to see what the image looks like using our virtual tour software to view it.

 The Tour

Along with our EGG lens and digital camera we always bring a tripod stand with us. This is because we like to shoot our tours without anyone visible, so that we can truly capture what the house looks like. Our cameras have a timer on them so that the photographer can get out of sight before the picture is taken. Occasionally, if there is nowhere for our photographer to hide, you may see him crouched underneath the tripod so that he doesn't’t end up in the picture. Often times our photographers will take more than one picture of the same thing. This is done so that our processors may choose the best photograph of the two, depending on lighting and other adjustments. Our photographers are trained to do all of these things so that in the end we can provide our customers with a superior product that will be helpful in the sale of their listing.

The Processing

After we have photographed your house, we have to process the pictures using the EGG software. During this period our processors will adjust each picture individually for lighting and coloration accordingly. The final stage involves giving each picture a title, ordering them and then compiling them into a Virtual Tour. Once the tours are processed they are then uploaded onto a web-server and ready to be viewed.

So why does my listing deserve a Virtual Tour?

The Internet has become one of the easiest ways for Realtors to market their listings to potential buyers both affordably and productively. With the development of new technologies has come the Online Virtual Tour, a tool that is taking the Real Estate industry to a whole new level of marketing.

According to data collected by the National Association of Realtors, 72 percent of 3,000 recent buyers responding to a survey drove by or viewed a house as a result of an Internet search. Of these 3,000 buyers surveyed, only 15 percent did not use virtual tours.* This staggering statistic shows that the Internet and virtual tours are not becoming the norm in real estate, they are the norm.


*National Association of Realtors 2003

 

 

What can a virtual tour do for me?


Virtual tours possess the ability to market your listing to potential buyers all over the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is this kind of marketing that allows those with geographical restraints to still be capable of viewing listings. Columbia Mortgage Virtual Tours extends your customer pool from local to worldwide. Furthermore, virtual tours are so effective that they all together break down potential language barriers that may arise. Remember, a virtual tour is a detailed 360 degree video-like interactive tour that is so descriptive the viewer needs almost no other information to understand it.

A Virtual Tour can also save a realtor both time and money, and it is for this reason that so many agents are using them.

So what are the advantages of NWPixs Virtual Tours?

NWPixs brings to the Portland Metropolitan area and surrounding communities an indispensable product that is unsurpassable in quality, experience, professionalism and affordability. Our highly qualified photographers have the resources it takes to create the most effective tours that will help you sell your listings. NWPixs is a proud spawn of the Prudential Northwest Properties family, and can be trusted as the most reliable virtual tour company in the region. With over 5 years of experience related photography, NWPixs has become the benchmark company for its industry. The following are just a few advantages to choosing Columbia Mortgage for you virtual tours solutions:

Some of The many advantages of choosing NWPixs for  Virtual Tours: