Murfreesboro Information and Resources

Well, that's a very bold question. It could! The Canon EOS 7D not only expands on the functions of the uber-cool (and uber-expensive) Canon 5D Mark II but it actually simplifies them too. You can check out all the specs here.

For real estate agents this camera will put bothan 18mp (mega pixel) DSLR camera and a full HD video camera in your hands for under $2000 ($1700 for the body only or $1900 with the lens) making it about $800 cheaper than the 5DMKII. This is great for all you would be videographersout there who want to shoot video of your home listings or just post a video blog. The camera has a cool in-camera trim feature (only for the beginning and end of the video) and can record either 1080p at 30 fps (or 25 or 24) or 720p at 60p. It records with the H.264 codec which is now the web standard and outputs to a .MOV file, making your footage ready for upload to YouTube or what-have-you straight out of the camera. The built in mono microphone is expected to be "only OK" like the 5DMK2's and probably not as good as the Nikon D90's (but that's OK because you're all going to be using the stereo mic input anyway RIGHT). Here's some footage so you can see this baby in action.

And for those of you who think that looks to good to be true for your untrained or unskilled hands here's what to expect as a novice. And if you're REALLY concerned about the video functions of the Canon EOS 7D read this.

For your photos you'll love the addition of a built-in flash. For you real estate photographers out there, the wireless flash control will also be a great new feature, as will the 7D's new dual axis electronic level. As we all expected, it has autobracketing so HDR photography should be as easy as pie. The new custom controls feature will keep all of your favorite functions handy.

The EOS 7D also has a new viewfinder allowing a 100% view of your shot, making framing your shot easier and cutting down on Photoshop time cropping later. It has an upgraded autofocus and from what I can tell the low light sensitivity looks pretty darn good. What more could we ask for you ask. Essentially nothing. I'd prefer a full 35mm sensor the the APS-C CMOS sensor, but that's just personal taste because of my lens collection. Now it looks like I'll be adding a new wide angle lens to my collection to cope with the 1.6x cropping but other than that the 35mm Canon lenses should be manageable.

When and where can I get one you ask? The release date is "Late September", that reminds me of a song by some good friends (see player below), but word on the street is that pre-orders from Best Buy ship October 15th and I expect B&H will have a similar timeline.

So why do I think the Canon EOS 7D has the potential to change our industry? Simply put it can improve your pictures whether it's by sheer quality or wider lenses and will put the power of professional flash and/or HDR photography into just about any Realtor's hands (a quick study here can aid you with that). Meanwhile, real estate agents will be able to do videos of homes (which you'll post and syndicate via www.TubeMogul.com) and start or improve on their video blogs. This camera has everything you need in one handy-dandy little package that won't break the bank.

Virtual Tours have gained a lot of popularity in recent years. There is no doubt that they can help a home sell faster. Statistics from REALTOR.COM show that listings with virtual tours get clicked on 40% more than listings without virtual tours." As more and more real estate agents have discovered this the internet marketplace has become diluted with more and more virtual tours that are really no more than glorified slide shows. Agents are wasting good marketing dollars to have one of the many online companies plug photos of the property into a program that animates the still images with motion. The reality of this method is that it's simply not cost effective for the agent and really doesn't offer the potential buyer any more info than the photos within the original listing.

The real benefit of a virtual tour comes from a REAL virtual tour. This means a tour that presents the home in a panorama or 360 degree tour which the end user can navigate at will to see all the features of a room. There are a number of different approaches to this, and most require a professional real estate photographer to take the images and create the tour, which can be more expensive (usually anywhere from $100 - $500 in our area) than the still image variety, but the results are typically quite astounding. Buyers can get lost in a tour and become emotionally attached to a home before ever setting foot in it.

Here's the low-down on both types of Virtual Tour Providers:

www.JohnCJones.com - My favorite of all virtual tours is the 360 degree and still image combination that we do in-house at John Jones Real Estate (of-course I'm partial, but I'm also one of the few people who have tried, and continue to try, nearly every virtual tour option available).

This service is in partnership with a national provider which I'm keeping confidential (consider it a trade secret, like the recipe for Coke or KFC). The beauty of this tour is it is high-def, can be full-screen, embeddable, and you can add custom audio for the tour (or each image if you'd like, no more lame elevator music...record a description of your property to point out the features of the room they are looking at). Not local to Murfreesboro, Tennessee? Send me a message and I'll clue you in!

As a Real Estate Photographer, I offer this same service to other agents in the area, so it's not exclusive, but it's one of the many benefits of using a company with a full-time Technology Consultant. HERE and HERE are two examples.

www.propertypreviews.com - My personal favorite of the still-image-with-motion variety. The service is FREE (which is why it's my favorite and they do offer some additional paid syndication options, including export to YouTube) and easy to use. See an example HERE.

www.youtube.com- Create your own with software you didn't know you had. Most Windows XP PCs have Windows Movie Maker pre-installed which makes animating the images (or video if you'd like) as easy as drap-and-drop, save, upload, done. The best part of using YouTube is that search engines LOVE YouTube videos. See an example HERE.

www.visualtour.com- Another create-your-own company. This one is one of the top national competitors. Their service relatively inexpensive (a setup fee and $29.95 per month for all the tours you can muster) but also a little dull considering that propertypreviews.com offers almost all of the features for significantly less money. See one HERE.

www.tourfactory.com - Yet another national competitor, Tour Factory is very similar to Visual Tour in almost every way. One of my favorite "Techie" agents Sam Miller is an avid Tour Factory user. They offer competitive pricing ($49.95 per tour or discounted monthly packages) and the interface is simple and effective. They also offer the option of having a professional real estate photographer photograph your property for an additional fee. See an example HERE.

www.obeo.com- These are a little on the expensive side coming in at $200 - $350 depending on the features. They send a professional photographer to shoot the property (though in my experience the provided photographer left something to be desired, but bear in mind different areas provide different photographers). Obeo offers REALLY COOL add-on features that are worth the money on a high end listings, such as interactive floorplans (see how you can arrange your furniture) and Style-Designer (try out different paint colors, flooring, cabinets, and counter tops). These features are by far the cream of the crop when it comes to "helping" a prospective buyer become emotionally attached to a home. You can get lost in an Obeo tour and spend hours on end imagining the possibilities of a home. Try one yourself HERE.

www.realtourvision.com - This company is another national competitor. They offer 360 panoramic tours through area vendors or you can attempt to create-your-own. (I don't suggest going that route unless your looking for something to kill ALOT of time. Trust me. It ain't as easy as it looks.) The quality is pretty good and the "hot spots" (spots they can click on to move from one area to the next) are a great function, giving the user a sense of moving through the house. Try one out HERE.

Videographers - I must admit I've never used a videographer but a professional real estate videographer can take a virtual tour to a whole new level. True...there is no interactivity like many 360 degree tours, so the user cannot choose what they want to see. So what makes this superior to the normal old photos-with-motion approach? It can look phenomenal and can give a buyer who's been combing through hundreds of home listings a welcome bit of relief with the freshness and uniqueness is provides them. We know for a fact that the most important part of a buyers experience is their emotional connection to a home, hence the smells and depersonalization that created the industry of home staging. Real estate videography it it's online equivalent. But be careful results can vary widely. Your best bet? Visit www.wellcomemat.com/videographers and see who's available in your area. HERE's a good example I found.

There are a number of other options for providers that do basically the same thing. The important thing is to decide if a virtual tour is important to you (and it should be) and what kind is right for you, your area, and your budget. Many Realtors will take care of this for you (whether it be included in their fees or an additional cost), some offer the service if you'll just request it, and others are still stuck in the dark ages.

The most important thing to remember is the addition of a virtual tour usually entices a buyer to linger on your property longer and in our business that's usually a good thing!