Zillow knows how much online home shoppers love a good virtual home tour. In fact, anything that gives potential buyers an immersive experience is bound to make a listing stand out from those offering still photos and a barely readable floor plan.
Which is why Zillow just acquired VRX Media. This comes a few months after Zillow acquired ShowingTime+ and will likely play a part in the company’s talked-about super app.
Granted, not every home listing lends itself to a marketing approach like the one Taya DiCarlo used for the Blanco Bungalow. But for a home with obvious visual appeal, inside and out, giving it a bit of the star treatment isn’t over the top; it’s just good marketing.
Why VRX Media?
VRX Media’s premium listing services include aerial drone photography, virtual staging, 3D tours, high-definition photography, and fast-media delivery to your clients—made possible through the company’s national network of professional photographers.
Seventy percent of sellers surveyed say they’re more likely to work with an agent whose services include virtual tours and interactive floor plans. And 70% of sellers whose listings included a virtual tour were more likely to receive an all-cash offer.
Zillow’s aim with this acquisition is to help ShowingTime+ realize its vision of providing top-level listing products and services to help agents stand out and provide exceptional shopping and selling experiences to their clients—setting a higher standard for the industry.
Zillow’s acquisition will enable ShowingTime+ to provide two new premium marketing products scheduled for release in 2023: Listing Media Services and Listing Showcase.
Listing agents will be able to access VRX Media’s services through the ShowingTime+ software suite.
Listing media is a crucial part of selling a home, and we are focused on creating an immersive customer experience that makes listings stand out. With VRX Media, ShowingTime+ will give agents elevated listing products unlike anything available today and will transform the way they prepare and market their for-sale listings.
ShowingTime+ Listing Media Services
Both Listing Media Services and Listing Showcase combine high-quality photography services with cutting-edge listing media to create breathtaking, interactive home listings.
ShowingTime+ offers an overview of Listing Media Services on their website, with a video demonstrating what those services include.
Source: ShowingTime
ShowingTime+ Listing Showcase
Starting in 2023, Listing Showcase will give top-tier agents the keys to a new best-in-class listing display with leading-edge visuals and prominent listing agent branding.
Source: ShowingTime
Top takeaways for real estate agents
We’ve all seen horrible listing photos, usually combined with a property that sits on the market for an extended period of time.
Sure, everything sold in 2021. But low-budget visuals won’t cut it in today’s market. Think of the last time you quickly backed out of a home listing with poorly-lit, dingy-looking interiors. The word “well-loved” doesn’t make it better.
Sellers want an agent who cares enough to present their homes in the best possible light, with high-quality images for each room, a user-friendly floor plan, and a virtual video tour—all coming together to create a listing they (and their potential buyers) will excitedly share with others.
Whether you go for the services from ShowingTime+ or hire your own professional videographer and photographer, make sure your listings stand out.
