Ever wondered what the tile in the powder room of a $15,000,000 Los Angeles mansion looks like? How about the movie theater(s).
Did you imagine that a home with 12 bathrooms really exists? Now you can see them.
Dozens of them.
And not only in L.
A.
, but in more and more cities by the day.
Cruising dream homes via virtual home tours is gaining in popularity as the quality improves.
Virtual home tours are trading up from the old low-rent fish-eye panoramas to images that are a pleasure to view.
Factors driving the beautiful new views include: Professional photography These are not images taken by real estate agents pressed for time.
The photographic images here are rich, properly exposed, well-composed.
Some photographers even bill themselves as artistes on a (reaching) level with the architects and designers who made the homes.
You may think that's a stretch, but - each medium has its artistry - view a few of the virtual home tours you'll find at home tour galleries on the internet, and you may find yourself entranced.
Better design Virtual home tour designers themselves are getting better.
Navigation is more intuitive.
In most designs, thumbnails ride above a central viewer.
Panoramic views are common - and much clearer and better lit than the panoramics of just a few months ago.
Much competition among home tour companies Literally dozens of home tour companies are battling in a market free-for-all right now.
Those who are winning in any given local market may not even appear in other local markets, so the battle is ongoing, exciting, and has yet to reveal clear national winners and losers.
Some of the most interesting home tour galleries to click through are not associated with any virtual home tour production company.
The best tour galleries are simply gallery sites with slideshows or links to the best luxury home tours on the internet.
Viewers find it convenient and eclectic (the gallery is not limited to just one tour company).