The idea took root when IPIX virtual tours offered a special that she couldn't refuse last January. Ann Arbor, Michigan RE/MAX agent Kathy Toth bought an Olympus 360 and 1000 keys (tours) and decided to use them up by taking virtual tour photographs of schools and communities in her region. So far she has snapped virtual tours of over 100 schools in her area, and six months later, is about to start on communities and neighborhood amenities such as churches, shopping centers, playgrounds and more.

Wait a minute. Aren't IPIX virtual tours designed for homes?

Homebuyers want to see homes, but they are also concerned about where their children are going to go to school and the highlights of the community where they might live. Toth believed that if she could offer visual information about all the schools in the area, coupled with data compiled by The School Report, that transferees would have an easier time making home buying decisions.

It worked for one family. Toth's customer Paula Labella, a former Ann Arbor resident, is trying to move from out of state with teenage daughters. "That's a bad age to be moving, and they aren't excited," said Labella. "But when we were able to look at the schools online, it made the decision a lot easier, especially for my oldest daughter. She saw that the school she would be attending was nice and seeing it online made her feel like it was her school."

But good ideas don't always come easily. Before Toth could bring the tours to the public, she had to overcome a few hurdles.

"Right after I bought the tours, I realized that the pictures were all labeled things like master bedroom, kitchen, and den and I wanted to take pictures of science labs, gyms, and auditoriums," says Toth. "By then, Homestore had bought IPIX and while we had some problems getting it done because in the changeover of management we couldn't find the right contact, but once we did, they were very helpful. Homestore sent me an enhancement package worth about $400, and we got it going."

Once she had the camera and software working properly, Toth approached schools. Principals were supportive as long as no children were photographed. "Administration would be a nightmare to get release forms to put kids in the pics," explains Toth. "I agreed to go into the schools before children arrived in the rooms or after school."

Toth also offered another incentive - she would allow the schools to put the tours on their Web sites. "The Ann Arbor school district is going to put a link directly to my page," says Toth proudly. "In the fall when the kids come back, it will be in the school newsletters.

The tours have unexpected uses, too. Toth reports that one school official called her to thank her for helping him through a delicate matter. He had been asked to take over another administrator's position at a new school. Toth's tours provided the official with a means of previewing the school without stepping on the school grounds or on the exiting administrator's toes.

Toth plans to milk the schools' support for all its worth. "I also plan to create some CDs, and distribute them to builders in the area. They will have my label on it," says Toth. "The CDs will also be included in the chamber of commerce's relocation packages that go out. They send out about 600 relocation packages a year to corporations."

Do CDs work? For Toth, they do. Before contracting with JenTecInteractive.com to make her discs, Toth used to get business by calling AOL or other ISPs for free discs. She would slap her labels, complete with her Web site address, on the discs and hand them out in county fairs, relocation packages, and at the chamber. "They were free and all it cost me was the sticky labels," recalls Toth.

Toth is creative, and with good reason. She loves the challenge of making the Internet work for her. Since 1995, she has seen her online sales go from 3 percent to more than 12 percent of her business, but she still gets the lion's share of her business from referrals. Ironically, Toth expects her Web results to plateau. "There are so many other agents online, that you really have to stay on top of search engines so you'll be found."

But she isn't discouraged. She knows that her best use of the Internet lies in communication and information delivery.

"I have a masters in business administration, with a double major in marketing and finance," she explains. "I love to come up with new ideas."

Published: August 3, 2001

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