Be careful with that virtual tour

I’m working on a feature story for a newspaper this week that looks at how the home-improvement shows on cable channels like HGTV and TLC have changed the way home buyers and sellers look at residential real estate. One agent said something interesting to me: The TV shows have convinced a growing number of home sellers that they should have virtual tours of their residences.

Thing is, this agent told me, somtimes virtual tours can do more harm than good for a seller.

A virtual tour allows interested buyers to either log onto a Web site or access a CD that has panoramic views of a home for sale. It’s a way for buyers to check out a home’s kitchen, master bedroom, yard and living room from in front of their own computer.

Problem is, sometimes buyers will view a home’s virtual tour and see one small thing they don’t like, the agent I interviewed told me. They’ll then instantly cross that home of their list of potentials. The buyers, if they toured the same house in person, might have been willing to overlook this one negative — say a small first-floor bathroom — if, once they toured the rest of the house, the spacious backyard and impressive master bedroom were big enough positives to outweigh the one negative.

Virtual tours have become important tools for sellers and buyers. They’re wonderful ways to market a home, and they provide buyers the chance to cross off unsuitable homes quickly, without them having to tour them in person.

But they can also scuttle a potential deal. So remember, if there is a feature of your house that you don’t like, keep it off the virtual tour.