New Virtual Tour Provider Announces Research Survey to Benefit Home Buyers & Realtors Alike!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 29, 2008 -- It was announced earlier today that Virtual Sidekick, LLC., a newer provider of virtual tour services and photography in the Durham, NC area, has released a National Home Buyers Survey for 2008. The survey is directed toward current home owners, home buyers and residential renters across the country, and will collect information on the search trends of today's home buyers based on a predetermined set of demographics.

“We have noticed that real estate professionals, and Realtors in particular, can be slow to step out of their comfort zone when it comes to promoting their listings of homes for sale. With the hit that the real estate industry is taking right now, it's more important than ever for Realtors and real estate professionals explore as many options for advertising their listings as possible. What better way is there for them to do this than being armed with information outlining the direct search preferences of potential home buyers?” says Ina Stanley, a joint parter for Virtual Sidekick. As a newer company, Virtual Sidekick is seeking ways to become more active in its local community. The focus is to go beyond being a simple provider of business services. “Because we're a marketing firm, we feel it's our duty assist both our clients and their customers by bridging the gap in communication. That's what marketing is all about. We help businesses find unique and effective ways to reach out to their customers, in ways that customers want to be reached.”

The survey is composed of questions regarding current home ownership, average household income, price range of home search, and most importantly, how today's home buyers prefer to search for available homes for sale or for rent. The survey also contains questions regarding whether home buyers are currently working with Realtors, how they rate the relationship with their Realtor, and what suggestions they have to improve the home search experience. “The home buyers are the ones really driving the real estate industry, but our fear is that with the the slew of new technology and surge of Internet usage, Realtors may not be providing potential home buyers with what they they want during their home search. We realize that the current state of the economy has severely slowed home purchases, but we feel that this lack of communication between home buyers and the real estate industry could also have a direct effect on the current housing slump. Whether we're heading toward a recession or not, there are still people looking to purchase homes, so Realtors need to know exactly what home buyers are expecting to find.

Home buyers will benefit from this survey by having the opportunity to tell real estate professionals exactly what they're looking for during their home search. The survey will no doubt pinpoint areas of weakness in the real estate industry's current marketing strategies. The hope is that home buyers will be as honest as possible about the kinds of presentations and information they want to see during their home search, and where they would most like to find those presentations and information. Says Ina of the survey, “Our ultimate goal is the help support the real estate industry through the onset of a potential recession, by providing information that will help them determine the best ways to reach potential home buyers, and the best way for Realtors to market their homes for sale and listings so that they are providing the kinds of presentations that will move potential buyers to action. We also hope to help home buyers discover a more satisfying and informative home search experience by providing Realtors with information directly related to their needs and preferences.”

The survey will run through March 22nd, and the findings will be published in a formal report near the beginning of April. Home buyers and Realtors alike will have to opportunity to request this report, either in print or electronic transmission. The report will also be made available through Real Estate 360°, a partner site of Virtual Sidekick. For more information regarding this survey, please see below.

More information can be found online at http://buyers-survey.360-virtual-tours.com

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