Frankly, I’m beginning to suspect (ok, I’m almost convinced) that these “leading” agents don’t want to try Rex video because they suspect (ok, they fear) their clients will, in fact, love it. Then…they’ll HAVE TO use video because the market will expect, if not demand it.

Well, guess what? The marketplace DOES expect top agents to use leading technology that’s proven to be powerful and persuasive! That’s why the video “revolution” is inevitable. We just don’t want to be among the front-line revolutionaries whose early sacrifices pave the way for follow-on success.

Norvell Rose
Founder, CEO
www.RexNet.tv

So, while you may have thought that our posts in our blog were all about your product, they were about people trying to fake video (which you are not). Phil got a little head strong in his blog post, and you-being competitive-got angry and re-acted incorrectly (with an attack). I have made this same mistake before, will probably do it again (competitive), and we honestly aren’t holding any grudges.

So yes…slide show companies are not our competition. Have we made a solid enough business case for video with our customers? For some we have…but we have a long way to go, and your ideas help us in this direction. Thanks for that.

I clearly stated early in my post that”video has so much inherent potential to effectively communicate emotion. Done properly it is, experientially, the next best thing to being there.” My comments are about poorly done video, about the comparative ease of creation of virtual tours and about the fact that in many cases virtual tours are a better marketing solution.

This has been my consistent message, even on the panel at Inman Connect. I wish there were video available from the panel so that everyone could hear exactly what was said on that panel. I certainly didn’t insinuate that video was a “debatable” medium. On the contrary, well-done video is outstanding. The key is that any medium must be done well to be effective.

You are now saying that “slide show companies are not WellcomeMat’s competition.” But two of the five posts written before my post on ActiveRain were written specifically about “slide shows” and VT’s. Each of those two posts either used portions of comments I made on the panel or referenced the panel in some form. Since I was the only panelist that does “slide shows,” who, other than RealEstateShows.com, were you referencing?

I believe that video has an important role to play in real estate. When done well and in the right situation, it is the best Internet marketing approach. I’ve said this many times on many different forums. But I do not believe it is right for the vast majority of properties sold in America. My reasons for believing this are not anecdotal.

I think the timing and nature of your comments and the ensuing debate will prove to be invaluable for the real estate industry. Up to now, technology enabled transparency and real estate buyers’ appetites to use information provided on the Internet has been the transforming factor in the business. But sellers of homes, for the most part, have not yet embraced the Internet with the same knowledge, enthusiasm and demands as have buyers.

So it is important and timely that we bring to light, for the benefit of all Realtors, a lively and thorough discussion of the pros and cons of all approaches to Internet marketing presentations. It is vital that Realtors are well prepared for the day that the vast majority of sellers demand strong Internet marketing presentations and can lead those sellers to the most intelligent approaches. I want to see Realtors prepared to intelligently lead that change with solid, situationally sound Internet marketing solutions.

Our goal will be to give real estate professionals a way to analyze, based on sound business principles, when it makes sense to use video, when it’s better to use virtual tours, and why.

http://www.lostremote.com/2007/02/16/online-video-in-the-real-estate-industry/

Apologies for not responding earlier: no doubt my man! I feel like we have come a long way based on the comments on the AR post. People are starting to not only get video, but believe in it. It’s been a long road, but things are moving!