how do you feel about real estate/property websites?

[mako]

hi everyone!

when house hunting, do u guys usually look through real estate/property websites first before going to the physical locations or showflats?
when i house hunt, i would usually search through websites first since it's more convenient and can help sieve out unsuitable places..

and do you find information given in real estate/property websites enough? eg. are static photos of the property enough to show how the place is like?
i'm just thinking if virtual tours are available on real estate/property websites, it would make house hunting better as it can provide a feel of how the place is like, especially for our overseas friends who intend to stay in Singapore..

what do all u guys think?

[Pal]

No doubt virtual tour is good but a rental property usually stays in the market for less than 2 months before it is rented out, therefore it is not fessible for websites to feature each and everyone of them in virtual tour format.

Imagine having thousands of virtual tour video/flash and to add/remove them daily .... too tedious! Unless a website only has a couple of properties, say less than 30, else it is not possible to implement it.

Furthermore, visitors will still need to view the properties physically before a decision is made, therefore, we find that static photos are more than sufficient.

[mako]

yes, agreeable
but im actually thinking about properties that are more for investments or properties such as hotels...or special high-end projects such as The Azure at Sentosa Cove...
say for hotels, if most of them have virtual tours of their rooms and facilities, eg. using 360 degree panoramic images, foreigners can have a full view of all rooms and facilities, it could make it easier for them to choose their accomodations before coming over...

pls pardon me for posting my frank opinions about real estate websites...
it's because a few of my overseas friends say they have difficulties deciding where to stay before coming over, as they couldn't obtain enough clear information...