I can’t begin to tell you how nervous I was.  I had recently purchased the RTV virtual tour system, gone through their training program, studied all of the talk shows, prepared my marketing materials and even shot a few practice tours but the nervous feeling would not go away.  I’m a professional photographer who was constantly getting asked by several local real estate agents to start shooting virtual tours. I did not really know what I was getting into, and why on earth did I say “YES?? I do know that I felt like I was in very capable hands with RTV all along the way so when that day finally came and my customer called and asked me if I was ready I said “YES! Absolutely, I am ready!”

Any way, here I am, driving to my first customer, and boy oh boy, I had some pressure. The real estate agent already worked with Visual Tour and had a virtual tour done of the house, and he JUST wanted to compare it with my services. Did I mention it’s my first virtual tour? Still nervous, but ringing the doorbell, the show must go on. I get started and after 35 minutes, once I had taken the living room-dining room and kitchen area in all possible angles, my camera tells me: No memory card. Luckily, at that moment, the real estate agent is chatting, as he would have probably called 911 seeing the color of my face draining out.

I shook my camera a little bit, just to remove the bad spell, but no, the message is still there. So, I decided to turn off the camera, praying with all I got that it turns back on and miraculously, that this nasty message goes away. NO instead I got another one. “Memory card MAY BE defective”… another silent moment goes by. Then I hear some steps: “ Is everything all right Kate?” Another long silence goes by. “No” (At that point, he probably didn’t hear my answer). Bravely, I decided to remove the card, not really knowing what will happen, (Eh, everything could disappear), I put it back, still can’t get access to any picture taken earlier and can’t take another one either.

My mind is running: ok, where is the closest Best Buy/Target/Walmart, ANY store with a memory card…. I am thinking it will take at least 30 min back and forth … I am dead… just bury me now. Forget, I exist. But I didn’t have to do anything. My angel real estate agent turns to me, and says: “Why don’t you try my cameras memory card?”… It worked.

I went home, with sweating palms, praying (again), that my first 30 min of pictures are ok, and yes they were. I am missing one 120 pano, and of course the 12th picture of the kitchen-dining panorama… but not too bad. Could have been way way worse.

So bottom line, YES A MEMORY CARD can fail on your first virtual tour. And yes, I will always have two cards with me from now on. I still had a good time, and I am looking forward to do it again!

Kate Huchet
Lawrence Virtual Tour, LLC
Order a Virtual Tour – 785-764-2552