360 Virtual Tours vs. Traditional Photos: What Works Best for Thurston County Buyers?
Last month, an agent came to me with a question I hear all the time: "Are virtual tours really worth it, or should I just stick with great photos?"
It's a fair question. Traditional photography has been the backbone of real estate marketing forever, and it's not going anywhere. But 360 virtual tours have become increasingly popular, and for good reason—they offer something photos simply can't.
Here's the truth: it's not really about choosing one over the other. The best marketing strategies use both, and understanding when and how to use each one is what separates average listings from exceptional ones.
Let me break down everything you need to know about 360 virtual tours and traditional photography, and how to use both effectively for your Thurston County listings.
What Are 360 Virtual Tours?
First, let's make sure we're all on the same page about what we're talking about.
A 360 virtual tour (also called a 3D tour or virtual walkthrough) is an interactive experience that lets viewers explore a property online as if they're actually walking through it. Using specialized cameras, we capture spherical images from multiple spots throughout the home. These images are then stitched together to create a seamless, navigable virtual environment.
The viewer can click to move from room to room, look up at ceilings, down at floors, and spin around to see every angle. It's like they're standing in the property, controlling where they look and where they go next.
The most well-known platform for this is Matterport, but there are other systems as well. At Power Homes Media, we use professional equipment that creates high-quality, smooth virtual tours that accurately represent properties.
Traditional Real Estate Photography: The Foundation
Traditional real estate photography is exactly what it sounds like—professionally shot still images that showcase a property. These are the photos you see in MLS listings, on Zillow, in marketing materials, and across social media.
We've talked extensively about photography in other posts, but the key point here is that traditional photos are curated. We're choosing the best angles, the most flattering light, and the most compelling compositions to showcase each space.
A photo is an edited, polished representation of a room or feature. It's designed to look beautiful and make people want to see more.
The Strengths of 360 Virtual Tours
Let me tell you what virtual tours do really well:
Complete Transparency
Virtual tours show everything. Buyers can look in every corner, check out every angle, and get a complete understanding of the space. There's no hiding anything or using clever angles to make rooms look bigger than they are.
This transparency builds trust. When buyers virtually tour a property and then see it in person, there are no surprises. What they saw online is what they get in real life.
Understanding Flow and Layout
This is huge. Photos show individual rooms, but virtual tours show how rooms connect and flow together. Buyers can understand the layout in a way that photos and floor plans together still can't quite capture.
In Thurston County, where we have such diverse housing stock—from older homes with choppy layouts to modern open concepts—this ability to understand flow is incredibly valuable.
Self-Guided Exploration
Different buyers care about different things. Some want to focus on the kitchen, others care most about bedroom sizes, and some are all about the outdoor space.
Virtual tours let each buyer explore at their own pace and focus on what matters most to them. They're not constrained by what you chose to photograph or in what order.
Out-of-Area Buyer Advantage
We get a lot of buyers coming to Thurston County from other areas—Seattle folks looking for more affordable housing, military families relocating to JBLM, people from out of state drawn by Washington's quality of life.
For these buyers, virtual tours are incredibly valuable. They can thoroughly explore properties without making the trip, which helps them narrow down which homes are worth seeing in person.
24/7 Open House
A virtual tour is like having an open house that never ends. Buyers can tour the property at 2 AM in their pajamas if they want to. This accessibility increases engagement and interest.
The Strengths of Traditional Photography
Now let's talk about what traditional photography does best:
Emotional Impact
A well-composed photo can be absolutely stunning. It can make a room look warm, inviting, spacious, and desirable in a way that's designed to create an emotional response.
When someone is scrolling through listings online, it's the beautiful photos that make them stop and click for more information. Photos are your hook.
Curated Presentation
Photos let us control exactly what viewers see and how they see it. We're showing the best angles, the most flattering light, and the most appealing aspects of each space.
This curation is actually a strength, not a weakness. We're highlighting what makes the property special while being honest about what's there.
Social Media Performance
Photos work beautifully across all social media platforms. They load quickly, look great on mobile devices, and are easy to share.
A stunning exterior photo or a beautiful kitchen shot can go viral on Instagram or Facebook in a way that virtual tours simply don't. People share beautiful images—it's that simple.
First Impressions
Photos are what show up in search results, in MLS listings, and in email alerts. They're the first thing potential buyers see, and they need to make an immediate impact.
You have maybe two seconds to capture someone's attention before they scroll past. A great photo can do that. A link to a virtual tour... not so much.
Versatility
Photos work everywhere—print materials, social media, email campaigns, yard signs, postcards, billboards, listing presentations. Virtual tours are digital-only and require someone to actively engage with them.
When Virtual Tours Make the Most Sense
Virtual tours aren't necessary for every listing, but they're incredibly valuable in certain situations:
Higher-End Properties
Luxury buyers expect comprehensive marketing. Virtual tours are part of that expectation. If you're listing a home over $600K in Thurston County, a virtual tour should probably be part of your marketing package.
Unique or Complex Layouts
Some homes are hard to understand from photos alone. Multi-level homes, additions, unusual layouts, or properties with multiple structures benefit hugely from virtual tours.
We recently did a virtual tour for a home in Olympia that had been added onto multiple times over the years. The layout was confusing from photos, but the virtual tour let buyers understand how it all connected.
Vacant Properties
Empty rooms are notoriously hard to photograph well. They look cold and uninviting in photos. But in a virtual tour, buyers can walk through and imagine their own furniture and style in the space.
Combined with virtual staging (which we can add to the tour), this becomes a powerful combination.
Out-of-Area Buyers
If your listing is likely to attract buyers from outside the area—maybe it's near JBLM, or it's in a price range that appeals to people relocating from more expensive markets—virtual tours help those buyers feel confident making offers without multiple visits.
During Market Slowdowns
When the market cools and properties sit longer, virtual tours help maintain interest. They give buyers who've already seen the photos a reason to engage with the listing again.
When Traditional Photos Are Enough
On the flip side, not every listing needs a virtual tour:
Starter Homes and Standard Properties
A well-maintained but standard 3-bedroom, 2-bath home in a typical neighborhood might not benefit much from a virtual tour. Great photos will do the job just fine.
Smaller Homes and Condos
When a property is under 1,000 square feet, traditional photos can usually tell the whole story. There's simply not enough space to make a virtual tour worthwhile.
Quick Turnover Markets
In a hot seller's market where properties are selling in days, virtual tours might not be necessary. If you're getting multiple offers before people have even had a chance to explore a virtual tour, the investment might not make sense.
Budget Constraints
Virtual tours cost more than photography alone. If you're working with a tight budget or a lower-priced listing, investing those dollars in excellent photography, video, and drone work might give you better bang for your buck.
The Best Approach: Using Both Together
Here's what I recommend for most listings: use traditional photography as your foundation and add virtual tours strategically where they make sense.
Your photos are what draw people in. They're what show up in searches, what get shared on social media, and what create that initial emotional response.
Your virtual tour is what keeps them engaged, answers their detailed questions, and gives them confidence to schedule a showing or make an offer.
Think of photos as your marketing and virtual tours as your sales tool.
Creating a Comprehensive Marketing Package
At Power Homes Media, we often bundle services for a complete marketing approach:
Essential Package (every listing):
Professional photography
Listing highlight video
Professional editing and fast delivery
Enhanced Package (most listings):
Everything in Essential
Drone photography
Floor plans
Social media content
Premium Package (higher-end listings):
Everything in Enhanced
360 virtual tour
Extended video content
Virtual staging (if needed)
Property website/landing page
This tiered approach lets you match your marketing investment to the property and price point while ensuring every listing gets professional treatment.
What Buyers in Thurston County Actually Want
I've worked with enough agents and buyers in our local market to know what resonates here.
Thurston County buyers are practical and research-oriented. They appreciate transparency and comprehensive information. They're not necessarily looking for the flashiest marketing, but they do want to feel confident in their decisions.
This means:
They want great photos that accurately represent the property and make it look its best.
They appreciate virtual tours when the property is complex, unique, or they're relocating from out of area.
They value information like floor plans, property details, and neighborhood information.
They engage with video content on social media and appreciate listing videos that showcase properties comprehensively.
The sweet spot for Thurston County marketing is professional quality without being over-the-top. It's comprehensive without being excessive. It's honest while still presenting properties in their best light.
The Technical Side: How We Create Virtual Tours
When we create a 360 virtual tour at Power Homes Media, here's what the process looks like:
We use specialized 360-degree cameras positioned throughout the property. At each scan point, the camera captures a complete spherical image—everything around it in all directions.
We strategically place these scan points to ensure complete coverage. Typically, we're doing one scan per small to medium room, and multiple scans for larger spaces.
The software then stitches these spheres together, creating seamless transitions between scan points. The result is a smooth, navigable virtual environment.
We can add features like:
Floor plan view with clickable navigation
Measurement tools
Labels highlighting special features
Virtual staging in vacant rooms
Branded elements with your contact information
The whole process takes about an hour for an average-sized home, and we deliver the completed tour within our standard 24-hour turnaround.
Common Concerns About Virtual Tours
Let me address some hesitations agents sometimes have about virtual tours:
"Won't people not bother coming to see it in person?"
Actually, the opposite tends to be true. Virtual tours qualify buyers better. People who tour virtually are more serious about the property when they do schedule a showing because they already know they like it.
"What if the home isn't perfect?"
Virtual tours show reality, which is actually a good thing. It filters out buyers who wouldn't be interested anyway and attracts buyers who appreciate what the property actually offers.
"They're too expensive for my listings."
Virtual tours have come down in price significantly. While they're still an investment, the cost is much more reasonable than it was a few years ago. And for the right properties, the ROI is strong.
"They're complicated to set up."
When you work with professionals like us, you don't have to worry about any of the technical aspects. We handle everything and deliver a finished product ready to share.
Virtual Tours and SEO
Here's something agents don't always realize: virtual tours can actually help your listings rank better in search engines.
Search engines love rich, interactive content. A listing with a virtual tour is providing more value and engagement than one with just photos, and search algorithms recognize that.
Plus, virtual tours typically live on platforms like Matterport, which have their own SEO value. Your listing can be discovered through searches on those platforms in addition to traditional real estate sites.
The Future of Real Estate Marketing
As we move through 2025 and beyond, the line between traditional and virtual marketing continues to blur. We're seeing innovations like:
Virtual reality (VR) integration where buyers can experience tours with VR headsets
Augmented reality (AR) features that let buyers visualize furniture in spaces
AI-powered tours that can answer questions in real-time
Integration with smart home features to show how technology works in the property
While these technologies are still emerging, one thing is clear: buyers increasingly expect immersive, interactive ways to experience properties online.
The agents who embrace these tools—while still maintaining high-quality traditional marketing—will have a significant competitive advantage.
Making the Decision for Your Listings
So how do you decide whether to include a virtual tour for a specific listing?
Ask yourself these questions:
What's the price point? Generally, anything over $500K in Thurston County should probably include a virtual tour.
Is the layout easy or difficult to understand? Complex layouts benefit hugely from virtual tours.
Who's the likely buyer? Out-of-area buyers, military families relocating, and luxury buyers all appreciate virtual tours more than average.
Is the property occupied or vacant? Vacant properties benefit from virtual tours, especially with virtual staging.
What's your competition doing? If similar properties in your price range are using virtual tours and yours isn't, you're at a disadvantage.
What does the seller want? Some sellers specifically request comprehensive marketing including virtual tours.
How's the market? In slower markets, virtual tours help maintain interest over time.
If you answered yes to several of these questions, a virtual tour is probably worth the investment.
Working with Power Homes Media
Whether you need traditional photography, virtual tours, or a complete marketing package combining both, we've got you covered.
We're a full-service real estate media company serving all of Thurston County. We understand the local market, we know what buyers here respond to, and we have the equipment and expertise to deliver exceptional results.
Our 24-hour turnaround applies to everything we do, including virtual tours. We know you need to get listings live quickly, and we've built our entire workflow around speed without sacrificing quality.
We can help you make strategic decisions about which services make sense for each listing based on the property, price point, and market conditions.
The Bottom Line
Here's my honest take: traditional photography remains essential. It's the foundation of real estate marketing and always will be. Every listing needs great photos—no exceptions.
Virtual tours are an incredibly valuable addition for the right properties. They provide an experience that photos can't, they build buyer confidence, and they help properties stand out in competitive markets.
The best approach is using both strategically. Invest in excellent photography for every listing, and add virtual tours where they make sense and provide real value.
In Thurston County's diverse market—from starter homes in Tumwater to waterfront properties on Capitol Lake to luxury estates in the Olympia hills—having the flexibility to provide exactly the right level of marketing for each property is what helps you succeed.
Your sellers deserve comprehensive marketing. Your buyers deserve transparent, detailed information. And you deserve tools that make your job easier and help you close more deals.
Whether it's stunning photography, immersive virtual tours, or a complete package combining everything we offer, Power Homes Media is here to help you market properties effectively and sell them faster.
Ready to discuss the perfect marketing approach for your next listing? Let's talk about how we can help you showcase it beautifully.
