Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in a Virtually Home Virtual Tour?
What is a HomeTour 360™° Tour?
Will my Virtually HomeTour appear on REALTOR.com®?
What other National Websites will my Virtually Home Virtual Tour appear?
Do Virtual Tours really attract consumers?
If Virtual Tour is created and the house sells within days, can I still use the Virtual Tour as a marketing tool?
What kind of process in involved in ordering a Virtually Home Virtual Tour?
What is the price for a full-service tour?
Where are Virtually Home Virtual Tours available?
What is the difference between using Virtually HOME Virtual Tours with iPIX® technology and panoramic technology?
Which scenes are part of a standard tour and when are additional scenes ordered?
Can I preview the scenes before they get posted and pick the ones I want?
How are Virtually Home Virtual Tours different than other Virtual Tours?
Why are there additional charges for HomeTour 360° Virtual Tours in certain areas?
How do I order a Virtually Home Virtual Tour?
What forms of payment are accepted?
How do I get my tour posted to my Web site, to my broker's Web site, to REALTOR.com® or elsewhere?
Can I get a Virtually Home Virtual Tour posted to other national real estate sites other than REALTOR.com®?
How long will my Virtual Tour be on REALTOR.com®?
How are Virtually Home tours different than iPIX® Virtual Tours?
If a Virtually HOME Service Provider has to travel to the community in which the model home is located, is the cost of that travel included in the price of the virual tour, or is that an additional expense?
How would our Internet site provider link to your site and display the Virtual Tours?
Can I host the Virtually HOME Virtal Tours on my server?
How can I view iPIX™ 360º images?
Are there any Web browsers that will not work with iPIX™ images?
Do I need a particular version of a Web browser to view Virtual Tours?
Do you recommend any Web browsers or operating systems for PC users viewing Virtual Tours?
I use AOL to access your Web site and I'm having problems viewing Virtual Tours. Can you help me?
What is an iPIX™ Plug-in?
Does the iPIX™ Plug-in cost anything?
How do I obtain the latest iPIX™ Plug-in for my browser?
Do iPIX™ images come in different file sizes?
Some Virtual Tours (VTs) I've seen are panoramic while the VTs at 360tulsa.com are viewable 360° in every direction, from ceiling to floor, and all the way around the horizon. What's the difference?
Do iPIX™ images come in different file sizes?

Q: What is included in a Virtually Home Virtual Tour?
A: Core components of a Virtually Home Virtual Tour include the following:

Q: What is a HomeTour 360™° Tour?
A: HomeTour 360° is the brand name for the Residential Real Estate Virtual Tours created with the iPIX technology. Virtually Home is a Certified Provider of the HomeTour 360° Virtual Tours powered by iPIX.

Q: Will my Virtually HomeTour appear on REALTOR.com®?
A: All NVTA Certified Virtually Home Virtual Tours are integrated automatically with the appropriate property listing on REALTOR.com® and into the i-LEAD™ XL Web sites. The tours have been proven to enhances property listings and generates leads for the agent and broker.

Q:What other National Websites will my Virtually Home Virtual Tour appear?
A: Here are a few of the National Real Estate Websites in the Virtually Home Distribution Network:

Q: Do Virtual Tours really attract consumers?
A: Yes! Data proves that consumers are more likely to explore listings with Virtual Tours - creating more opportunities to convert those consumers into leads. Listings with Virtual Tours are viewed 38% more than a listing without a Virtual Tour. Moreover, tours themselves receive an average of 13* hits per day - and scenes average four hits per day.

Q: If the Virtual Tour is created and the house sells within days, can I still use the Virtual Tour as a marketing tool?
A: Yes! The tour is good for up to one year. To find out how Top Producers are making the most out of their Virtual Tours and getting results click here.

Q: What kind of process in involved in ordering a Virtually Home Virtual Tour?
A: To order a Virtual Tour the REALTOR® orders via this website. A representitive from the Virtually Home call center, will call the REALTOR® to answer any questions they may have and at this time the REALTOR® pays for a tour for a particular property listing. Virtually Home' will dispatch the order to the professionally trained photographer in that particular area and he or she will contact the customer, perform the capture, process, and distribute the tour to the Virtually Home Distribution Network (VHDN). Virtually Home will then contact the customer via e-mail once the tour has been distributed.


Q: What is the price for a full-service tour?
A: The $119.95 price for 4 four scenes includes the cost of a professional photographer visiting the property, capturing the scenes and processing the images as well as the technology, hosting, and distribution costs. Virtually Home will distribute the completed tours to the Virtually Home Distribution Network (VHDN), a network of more than 50 real estate Web sties. Virtually Home cannot guarantee this $119.95 price outside metropolitan areas.

Q: Where are Virtually Home Virtual Tours available?
A: Virtually Home Virtual Tours are available in all California metropolitan areas, as well as some less populated areas. To see if your zip code is covered, call us at: 1-866-353-4749 or visit us at: www.VirtuallyHome.net.

Q: What is the difference between using Virtually HOME Virtual Tours with iPIX® technology and panoramic technology?
A: There are several features that are now included in a Virtually HOME Virtual Tour that add tremendous value to the HomeTour 360º including:

Q: Which scenes are part of a standard tour and when are additional scenes ordered?
A: While no particular set of scenes is mandated by Homestore™, agents will usually film the front (1) and back (2) exteriors, and also the areas of the house where the family eats (3) kitchen, relaxes (4) (living room) and sleeps (5) (bedrooms). On large houses, estates or in very competitive markets, agents may shoot 3-5 (or more) additional scenes to differentiate their listing from the others. Each additional scene is $19.95 it must be shot at the same time the Virtual Tour is shot. The additional charge for any additional scenes captured at the home will be charged to the customer's credit card on file at the time the tour is posted.

Q: Can I preview the scenes before they get posted and pick the ones I want?
A: If you have ordered a full service Virtual Tour, you must select which scenes you would like filmed and included in your Virtual Tour at the time of filming.

Q: How are Virtually Home Virtual Tours different than other Virtual Tours?
A: Virtually Home Virtual Tours offer a range of benefits that are not available with other Virtual Tour products:

Q: Why are there additional charges for HomeTour 360° Virtual Tours in certain areas?
A: Certain areas fall outside of our primary coverage area and therefore require additional travel time and expense. At the time that the specific listing is submitted for a tour to be created, we will notify you if any additional coverage charges will apply PRIOR to the appointment being set. These additional charges only apply to the full-service program.

Q: How do I order a Virtually Home Virtual Tour?
A: Virtually Home Virtual Tours can be purchased by ordering online. Once you submit an order for a Virtual Tour of your listing, your information is forwarded to the local photographer, who will call you to set up an appointment. The photographer will contact you within 24-48 hours of placing your order and asnswer any questions you may have.

Q: What forms of payment are accepted?
A: Major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover) are the only accepted payment method.

Q: How do I get my tour posted to my Web site, to my broker's Web site, to REALTOR.com® or elsewhere?
A: When you provide Virtually Home with your listing information, request distribution to the various Web sites where you would like the tour to appear. Once the tour is captured and processed, the link will be automatically sent to the REALTOR.com® site and the other real estate sites of your choice and posted as soon as the listing is active on that site. If we do not have a distribution relationship with your desired site, you will receive a link to your Virtual Tour that you or your webmaster can post on that Web site.

Q: Can I get a Virtually Home Virtual Tour posted to other national real estate sites other than REALTOR.com®?
A: Yes. Automatic posting to the Virtually Home Distribution Network is included. You can choose to post to REALTOR.com®, other national Web sites, franchise sites, regional and local sites. It is important to note that the listing must be active on the site for the tour to be posted.

Q: How long will my Virtual Tour be on REALTOR.com®?
A: Tours remain on REALTOR.com® for the lesser of one year or the life of the listings.

Q: How are Virtually Home tours different than iPIX® Virtual Tours?
A: There is no difference. Virtually Home Tours are powered by iPIX®, so the technology utilized is the same. Virtually Home is California's Premier Provider of iPIX's Virtual Tour technology in the residential real estate industry encompassing REALTORS®, brokers, homebuilders, and REITs.

Q: If a Virtually HOME Service Provider has to travel to the community in which the model home is located, is the cost of that travel included in the price of the virtual tour, or is that an additional expense?
A: The cost of travel is included in the price of the Virtual Tour for our core coverage areas. If we have to travel outside of our normal coverage areas, there is a surcharge based on the distance. Please refer to our service coverage page or contact a Sales Representative at 866.353.4749 for further details.

Frequently Asked Questions - Technical

Q: How would our Internet site provider link to your site and display the Virtual Tours?
A: Virtually HOME hosts the images and provides the link to your Webmaster who incorporates that link in the appropriate section of your Web site. It is a very simple process and it works seamlessly.

Q: Can I host the Virtually HOME Virtal Tours on my server?
A: You may of course link to the Virtually HOME Virtual Tour from your Web site, but Virtually HOME cannot send you the images to host on your own. We have built an extremely robust back-end system in place to serve up millions of images around the world with world-class reliability. Also, hosting the images ourselves allows us to roll-out instant product upgrades and new services.

Q: How can I view iPIX™ 360º images?
A: A key part of the iPIX™ image solution is its proprietary Java-based viewing technology, along with its plug-in solution. It's what enables the user to view tours without downloads or plug-ins. However, you can download the iPIX™ Plug-in once and view the highest resolutions.

Q: Are there any Web browsers that will not work with iPIX™ images?
A: The iPIX™ Plug-in does not work with Internet Explorer 2.0 and lower for PC and Macintosh, Netscape 2.0 and lower for PC and Macintosh, and AOL on the Macintosh. Anyone using these browsers can either upgrade their browser, or can use the free, stand-alone viewer, available from the iPIX™ Web site. This Viewer gives users the ability to see iPIX™ images locally, but not over the Internet.

Q: Do I need a particular version of a Web browser to view Virtual Tours?
A: Although iPIX™ recommends that you use the latest versions of Web browsers available, our range of Virtual Tours will display universally on all Internet browsers, including WebTV, and hand-held devices running Windows CE.

Q: Do you recommend any Web browsers or operating systems for PC users viewing Virtual Tours?
A: For the best results, we recommend you upgrade your browser to at least Internet Explorer 4.01, Netscape 4.05 (or more recent versions) on Windows 95, 98, or NT. These provide the best support for the Java programming language used for our tours with full features. If your browser cannot view the full-featured tour, the basic version of the same tour will be served to your browser.

Q: Do you recommend any Web browsers or operating systems for Mac viewing Virtual Tours?
A: For the best results, we recommend you upgrade your browser to at least Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.5 on MAC OS 8.5. This provides the best support for the Java programming language used for our tours with full features. If your browser cannot view the full-featured tour, the basic version of the same tour will be served to your browser.

Q: I use AOL to access your Web site and I'm having problems viewing Virtual Tours. Can you help me?
A: There are two primary versions of AOL, the 16-bit version that was used primarily by computers running Windows 3.x, and the 32-bit version, which runs on Windows 95, 98 and NT. AOL 32-bit version users will be able to see our full-featured Virtual Tour, while AOL 16-bit users will be able to see our basic Virtual Tour. If you wish to upgrade to the 32-bit version of AOL, type in the AOL keyword "Upgrade" from within AOL.

Q: What is an iPIX™ Plug-in?
A: An iPIX™ Plug-in is a piece of software that gives your Web browser the capability to view iPIX™ images on Web pages.

Q: Does the iPIX™ Plug-in cost anything?
A: No. It's a free download and very easy to install.

Q: How do I obtain the latest iPIX™ Plug-in for my browser?
A: iPIX™ Plug-ins and Viewers are available from the iPIX™ Web site. Click on the word "Plug-in" on the main navigation bar at the top of the page. Detailed download instructions accompany each iPIX™ Plug-in/Viewer.

Q: Do iPIX™ images come in different file sizes?
A: iPIX™ images are available in a broad range of distribution and viewing options:

Q: Some Virtual Tours (VTs) I've seen are panoramic while the VTs from Virtually HOME are viewable 360° in every direction, from ceiling to floor, and all the way around the horizon. What's the difference?
A: The panoramic VTs represent an older, less sophisticated technology and used to be called "Bamboo" tours. They are still around because Internet Pictures Corporation (iPIX) merged with their competitor, Bamboo Inc., that constructed these panoramic tours. Many photographers and end users of these "panoramic only" images aren't familiar with the new "omniramic" full iPIX technology.

Q: Do iPIX™ images come in different file sizes?
A: iPIX™ images are available in a broad range of distribution and viewing options: