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Web Videos Let You Zoom Through Neighborhoods When Home Shopping

ANN ARBOR -- When shopping for a home, the neighborhood is often equally important. It can also be costly and time consuming to visit each neighborhood. Fortunately there is now an easier, more practical solution -- a neighborhood drive-through video.

Until now, realtors made do with simple photos or slide shows of neighborhoods. With the popularity of Web video, Kathy Toth, an Ann Arbor real estate professional, and Mixed Media, a local video production firm, have raised the bar with "full motion" video drive-throughs of some of the most popular Ann Arbor and Dexter subdivisions. The Video Tours offer not only a simulated drive-through of the neighborhood, but also depicts neighborhood highlights, home elevations, and in some cases even interiors.

Toth said her clients love being able to check out a neighborhood this way.

"It's convenient, saves gas and truly gives us enough of a peek of the area to decide if we even want to consider looking in the neighborhood," said Patty Strabbing, a Toth client. Mixed Media and The Toth Team have completed more than 100 local Neighborhood Video Drive-through Showcases, over the past year alone.

Before bringing this idea into reality, both parties agreed that in order for this project to be worthwhile and beneficial to potential buyers, the quality of the videos would have to be far superior to what is customarily seen online at video content sites like YouTube.

"The days of achy, shaky and grainy videos are over," said Mixed Media CEO Matti Lahtinen. "Viewers today expect fluid, quality productions and most have no patience for glorified slideshows. Full-motion video is expected, and that's what we delivered."

Those interested in seeing a neighborhood video-drive-through can do so from http://VeewMe.com/drivethrough.

Mixed Media, a video production and marketing firm, has been working with real estate professionals and local businesses for over 12 years. Mixed Media produces full-motion video tours for real estate and short-form Internet video pieces for Web sites, email marketing, YouTube and other media. More at http://MixedMediaCo.com.

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