Realtors™ To Benefit From Homes & Land EZ Tour, New Online Visual Product Requires No Equipment Or Technology "Know-How"

Posted on October 04, 2007 by Bill Dube

Company Stresses Ease & Affordability So Agents Can Capture Buyers in Today’s Market

Tallahassee, FL – – According to the National Association of Realtors®, 88% of all Internet home buyers rate photos and virtual tours as extremely or very important in their search.  Recognizing the need for agents to better attract buyers in current market conditions,   Homes & Land today announced the launch of Homes & Land EZ Tour, its new online tour product which offers key product differences and agent benefits. 

Homes & Land EZ Tour automatically converts a listing with six or more photos into a 30-to-60 second online tour and requires no further production.  Additionally, unlike many online tour products available within the industry, Homes & Land EZ Tour does not require agents to have or purchase any special cameras, equipment or software.  It will be available to agents who advertise their listings through any of the company’s nationwide network of franchisees. 

The Homes & Land EZ Tour resulting effect is similar to the one used by film maker Ken Burns in his popular documentary on The Civil War.  The automatic application seamlessly produces zoom-in/out and panning applications that put the listing in motion.  Realtors can easily add more information or change music options if they desire.   While this photo/video effect has been utilized in the real estate industry, Homes & Land EZ Tour offers it production-free and simplified for agents.  

Realtors® benefit further since the company allows their Homes & Land EZ Tour to be posted to personal websites and to other popular real estate websites.  This strategic approach ensures that the listing is accessible and seen through a comprehensive and effective array of print and online mediums. 

“Photos and virtual tours are necessary for creating impact and this is especially important in today’s buyer’s market,” said Pat Nadler, Chief Executive Officer, Homes & Land Affiliates, LLC.   “However, we know that agents shouldn’t have to be experts or spend a lot of money on technology when working with a comprehensive marketing company.    We also know that agents have an overwhelming number of advertising options.  They should invest their time and their dollars with a company that can provide an integrated marketing strategy.”  The company’s exclusive production system enables agents’ magazine ads to automatically populate HomesAndLand.com.  In turn, HomesAndLand.com shares its listing content with 26 other major websites creating added value for advertisers.  In addition to its magazines and online marketing programs, the company’s marketing mix offers agents relocation, client contact, and direct mail programs, as well as a variety of ancillary tools, such as AdEssential, a free, customizable personal website for Realtors®.

Homes & Land believes that their online products are necessary in today’s consumer-driven market and are also in line with the company’s focus on attracting the upscale market.  “Higher-end buyers expect robust web content and online tours are just one way we meet our objective of attracting this consumer to our brand,” said Rob Wicker, Chief Marketing Officer, Homes & Land Affiliates, LLC.    The company’s median listing price is $472,000, well above the national median.  According to Hitwise, fifty percent of consumers who visit HomesAndLand.com have household incomes in excess of $100,000.  “This is twice the real estate industry average and therefore significant for agents who work the higher-end market,” said Wicker. 

About Homes & Land Affiliates, LLC

Founded in 1973, the Homes & Land franchise organization is the foremost national publisher of print and online real estate magazines promoting listings of top-producing real estate agents across the nation. Headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, Homes & Land prints and distributes more than 67 million magazines annually under the banner of its 343 affiliated magazines reaching over 30,000 communities throughout the United States and Canada. In addition to its flagship publication, the company also publishes Home Guide magazine, Estates & Homes magazine and Rental Guide magazine. One testament to the company’s history of innovation was its early position in 1992 as one of the original companies to offer online listings to homebuyers.