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Click on the questions below to see the answers.
- Does Tour Now create the tours for me?
- What do I need to get started?
- What is included with a Tour Now virtual tour?
- How long will you host my Tour Now virtual tour?
- Can I have full 360° images in my Tour Now tours?
- I've noticed many of the images in your examples move. Were these taken with a video camera?
- How do I create panoramic images?
- How many images can I have in one tour?
- What if I need help?
- What type of digital camera can I use?
- How long does it normally take to create a tour?
- How does my Agent Photo get placed on my tours?
- Is my tour posted to my site or to the Tour Now Network?
- Can I link my tours to REALTOR.com*?
- What are the differences between an Agent account, a Brokerage account and a Reseller Account?
- How can I customize my tours so that they match my brokerage image?
- What's the catch? Why are your tours so affordable?
- What's the big deal about Virtual Tours? Why are they important?
- Does Tour Now create the tours for me?
No. Tour Now provides a system that makes it easy for you to construct tours yourself. If you can take pictures and type, you'll be able to create tours in minutes. With Tour Now, you call the shots, and the tours cost significantly less. Creating Virtual Tours is very easy. Click here to learn how.
If you'd rather have someone create a tour for you, click here to search for a full-service reseller in your area.
- What do I need to get started?
You will need the following:
- A computer with a 4.0 or higher web browser.
- Any digital camera (fancy lenses and high megapixel ratings are not necessary).
- In order to create panoramic images for your tours (which is completely optional), you will also need image stitching software. We recommend PhotoVista by iSeeMedia. It's extremely quick and easy to use, and can be purchased from us (or elsewhere) for $56.95. When you create an account with Tour Now, you will be offered a 15 day free trial of the software. If you decide to purchase it, you can buy it from us directly.
- To access your Tour Now control panel and start creating tours, you will need a login name and password, which you can get for free by clicking here.
- What is included with a Tour Now virtual tour?
A whole lot is included. Click here for a complete list of features.
- How long will you host my Tour Now virtual tour?
Up to 6 months without interruption. After 6 months, you can either delete the tour, or pay $9 to extend your time another 6 months. You will be reminded via e-mail when your tour is two weeks from expiration. If you accidentally let your tour expire, there is a 30-day holding period during which time your tour will be inactive, but will not be deleted. During this time, you may pay to have the time extended, and the tour reactivated, or you may delete the tour. After this 30-day holding period, all untouched tours will be deleted.
- Can I have full 360° images in my Tour Now tour?
Yes. Click here to see a virtual tour that incorporates static, wide-angle, and 360° panoramic shots.
- I've noticed many of the images in your examples move. Were these taken with a video camera?
No. All of the images were taken with a regular still digital camera. The wide pictures are stitched together, and our tour viewer system scrolls over the picture making it appear as if it's a movie. However, the still image is much clearer, downloads much faster, and is much easier to create than an actual movie file. Click here to see how these "moving" pictures are created.
- How do I create panoramic images?
Click here for a complete explanation with screenshots.
- How many images can I have in one tour?
Unlimited.
- What if I need help?
Tour Now was built for the Internet novice, so every button and feature is clearly labeled with directions. Still, if you get lost, there are two ways to go. First, we have designed a support site, which can be accessed by clicking the help button in the top right corner of the Tour Now control panel. This site will automatically load detailed information and instructions about the features you were using when you clicked the help button. You can also access our support site by going to http://www.tournow.net/support. If this information doesn't get you back on the right track, there is a button on the bottom right of the screen that will put you in touch with a customer service representative, who will be able to answer your question quickly and effectively. Click here for details on our ease of use and customer service.
- What type of digital camera can I use?
Any digital camera (or scanner) can be used. Purchasing an expensive, fancy digital camera with lots of features is not in any way necessary.
- How long does it normally take to create a tour?
Once you have learned how to use the system, you will be able to create a virtual tour in less than an hour (including taking the photos). Creating tours is very simple. Click here to learn how.
- How does my Agent Photo get placed on my tours?
You can use your digital camera or scanner to create a digital picture of yourself. Then, Tour Now's built-in system software can resize and crop your photo for you automatically. For instructions on how to add your photo, click here.
If you have a hard copy of a professional photo you've had prepared, and would prefer that we place it on your tours, simply mail it to us at the following address:
The Tour Now Network
2232 South Main Street
Suite 381
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Please allow us a week to process this request. When sending your picture, please write your login name on the back. For added account security, we also ask that you send us an e-mail at support@tournow.net to affirm your request.
- Is my tour posted to my site or to the Tour Now Network?
Technically, the tour is posted on the Tour Now Network servers. However, the tours are linked directly to your site, and they appear to be hosted on your site as well. You can either link to the tours individually (click here for an example), or you can use our dynamic inventory list that provides an updated list of tours to your website automatically (click here for an actual example). To learn more about how your tour can be seen, click here.
- Can I link my tours to REALTOR.com*?
YES. There are two ways for you to link your tours to Realtor.com, manually, or automatically. Linking your tour manually involves copying a link that the Tour Now system will provide for you, and pasting it into your Agent iLeads control panel. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
Tour Now is a PicturePath partner, which means that you can link your tour automatically (even if you don't have a Realtor.com Agent iLeads account). Your tour will be linked as long as your listing exists on Realtor.com. Click here to learn more.
- What are the differences between an Agent account, a Brokerage or Reseller Account?
The primary difference between an Agent Account and a Brokerage or Reseller account is that an Agent account is designed for one person. Every tour created inside of an Agent account has the same design, the same name, the same agent photo, and the same contact information.
Brokerage and Reseller accounts are designed to accommodate an unlimited number of Agents, and offer some additional administrative functionality in order to help our Brokerage and Reseller Clients manage their portfolio of tours.
Click here for more specifics about our Agent, Brokerage and Reseller accounts.
- How can I customize my tours so that they match my brokerage image?
One of the big features that separates Tour Now from the rest of the virtual tour alternatives is the ability to completely customize the look and feel of your tour viewer. We offer two options for the professional interested in this custom look:
Free Customization: For no additional charge, you can have access to a significant number of customization options. There are nearly 40 different tour designs that are included free with the Tour Now system, and an additional custom Brokerage Branded Viewers that can be used by authorized agents of the companies for which they were created. Each tour is further customized with your agent photo, your contact information, and your name. All customizing is menu driven, so anyone can do it, and you can change the design of your tours as many times as you like at no cost. Experiment with the system, and find the style that suits you best.
Custom Development: For a one-time charge of $99, we will have our digital image designers consult with you on the phone, utilize your logo, colors, custom images and anything else you chose, to create a tour design that is entirely your own. Once created, the custom design can be applied to all of the tours you create with the Tour Now system.
Learn more about both options, and view some examples by clicking here.
- What's the catch? Why are your tours so affordable?
We are not a large corporation; we are a small, Limited Liability Company. We do not have thousands of stockholders to answer to, only a very few, hardworking partners that care deeply about the business and about helping people. From the beginning, the mission of our company has been to create affordable solutions that can actually make a difference. We have made our system affordable, because we want everyone to use and enjoy it. Our ultimate goal is to make Virtual Tours and Internet marketing a reality for every home sold in America, and we believe that keeping the prices low helps convince people to give us a try. Using Tour Now to create Virtual Tours is completely risk-free. Click here to open a Tour Now account today.
- What's the big deal about Virtual Tours? Why are they so important?
Using Tour Now Virtual Tours can help you make sales faster, generate more listings and leads, and improve customer satisfaction. Here are a few advantages:
- Customers interested in listing their home typically look for the Real Estate professional who does the most to generate leads. Telling a prospective client that you will have a virtual tour of their property created by the end of the day is a powerful incentive to list with you.
- Including a virtual tour with every listing shows potential clients that you go above and beyond your competitors that only post 'front of house' photos on their websites.
- E-mailing a new seller a virtual tour of their property increases customer satisfaction.
- Online listings with Virtual Tours are viewed more than those without (Blanche Evans, Realty Times, May 1, 2001), so failure to use virtual tours causes fewer eyes to see your listings, and generates less leads.
- Clients relocating from out of town do a good deal of online research before traveling to view homes in a new area. Creating and sending a virtual tour of your community to these valuable prospects, can help entice them to become your customers.
- To keep your listings fresh in their minds, prospects engaging in advance house-hunting trips can be e-mailed virtual tours of the homes you've shown them.
- Nearly four in 10 U.S. homebuyers used the Internet last year to shop for a house, an 18-fold increase in four years. And 37% of last year's surveyed homebuyers used the Internet to facilitate homebuying. (National Association of Realtors' 2000 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)
- Two-thirds of homebuyers expect to use the Internet in their next home purchase (2000 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Survey)
- Jupiter Research estimates that 50% of homebuyers used the Internet for research during the home buying process in 2000. The research organization anticipates that 80% of homebuyers and renters will use the Internet as a search tool by 2005.
There are many more reasons why virtual tours are an indespensible tour in the arsenal of the modern real estate agent. Click here to review the benefits.
With the Tour Now Network, creating impressive Virtual Tours that help you better communicate with both current and prospective clients is quicker, easier, and more affordable than ever!
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