Why Use Mouse On House?

1. What are the benefits of using Mouse On House?
2. My property is already booked by the same guests who come every year. Why do I need Mouse On House?
3. My house is so small. What can Mouse On House do for me?

Photography

1. When will photographs of my property be taken?
2. What should I do to prepare my property before Mouse On House takes the photographs?
3. Once the photographs are taken, how long will it take before I can access them on the website?
4. Does someone need to be on site at the property when the photographs are taken?
5. May I use the photographs taken by Mouse On House, and are they print quality?
6. Can I get new photographs taken, or supply substitutions, after I have remodeled my property?
7. Are the photographs print quality?
8. Can I get a copy of the photographs at the time of the shoot?

Floor Plans

1. Do I need to supply Mouse On House with a floor plan of my property?

Linking Your Mouse On House Property

1. May I link my Mouse On House property to my personal website?

General Questions

1. What are the setup and service fees for using Mouse On House?
2. Does Mouse On House provide 360-degree "spin" photographs, like as a traditional virtual tour?
3. Why is using Mouse On House better than using a 360-degree view?
4. How will my property get listed on my rental company's website?
5. How will my property listing look on my rental company's website?
6. Is there a “Loading Tour” splash page?

Why Use Mouse On House?

What are the benefits of using Mouse On House?
To begin with, our service has proven itself as an invaluable tool that attracts rental guests, and differentiates you from your competition. And, because Mouse On House is accessible online, it works for you around the clock, providing a complete feel for your property 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - from anywhere. There are also the cost savings you'll receive by creating an opportunity for more frequent rentals, and extending the rental season. Not to mention our outstanding customer service that has inspired a number of testimonials from our clients. Need more incentive? Just think about the expense your rental property is costing you when it's empty!

My property is already booked by the same guests who come every year. Why do I need Mouse On House?
Like you, your guests' needs continue to change as time goes on, so it's possible they may stop renting from you at some point. Mouse On House can help extend the season of your rental property or fill in any gaps. Just think, if we are responsible for renting your property only once every five years, your investment in our service has paid for itself. And that's a very conservative example. See our website Products for more details.

My house/condo is so small. What can Mouse On House do for me?
The old saying "don't judge a book by its cover" answers this question. A floor plan and photographs of a home can help set renters' expectations. Rental agents and customers have told us that Mouse On House was the best decision they ever made regarding their properties, regardless of the size.

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Photography

When will photographs of my property be taken?
Scheduling a photography session for your property typically takes place within a few days, and the date is dependent on whether or not the house is ready to go (clean) and unoccupied. Once you've decided to use our services, simply contact us to make an appointment.

What should I do to prepare my property before Mouse On House takes the photographs?
Before Mouse On House arrives, your property should be cleaned well, including picking things up off the floors and other surfaces, making beds, putting away laundry and properly placing all furniture. A good rule of thumb is to have it "rent ready." Please note that we do not move furniture because we don't want to be responsible for damage. Also, it is not necessary for the water to be working.

Once the photographs are taken, how long will it take before I can access them on the website?
Your rental property will be available online within 1-5 business days.

Does someone need to be on site at the property when the photographs are taken?
No. Actually, we prefer the property to be unoccupied. If you need to convey to us any special instructions or needs, please do so prior to the photo shoot. We will schedule a time and obtain the key from your rental office.

May I use the photographs taken by Mouse On House?
All floor plans, photographs, images and maps are copyrighted and remain the property of Mouse On House, Inc. The purchaser of the tour may utilize the images via their account or provide authorization for use. All tours provide access to web quality photographs. The Photo Tour Deluxe and Virtual Floor Plan tour provide access to print quality photographs.

Can I get new photographs taken, or supply substitutions, if I remodel my property?
We can re-shoot your property for a fee. Or, if you prefer and you have purchased the Virtual Floor Plan Tour, you can take the new photographs yourself and provide them to us as long as the photographs are high quality and meet our photo standards. We understand that sometimes the owner or real estate agent will have photographs from a different season that can help show case the house. To learn more about our specific photo standards, please contact us.

Are the photographs print quality?
Yes. Our print quality photographs are 300 DPI (dots per inch) with no watermark - ready for use on your website, flyers and brochures. The Web quality photographs are not suitable for printing. They are 96 DPI and have the Mouse On House watermark.

Can I get a copy of the photographs at the time of the shoot?
Just like you, we take pride in our work and all of our photographs must be processed through our image correction system to ensure that the photographs are perfect. Hence the photographs will be available within 1-5 business days via your Account.

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Floor Plans

Do I need to supply Mouse On House with a floor plan of my property?
No, our service includes the creation of the floor plan.

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Linking Your Mouse On House Property

May I link my Mouse On House property to my personal website?
Yes, depending on the agreement you make with your rental company. We do not charge any additional fees for the link.

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General Questions

What are the setup and service fees for using Mouse On House?
We require a one-time setup fee for creating a floor plan, taking photographs, working with the webmaster and placing your property on our website. The nominal service fee includes customer service, maintenance and Web hosting. We allow our customers to update the photos via our account logon system. This protects your investment by not letting your tour get stale and out of date. We also keep up with the latest technology. How many times have you gone to a website and it says "page not displayed" or some other error message that does not allow you to access the tour. Our technology is pure html and it will always run on any browser, including mobile devices. Our maintenance service includes unlimited updates to room descriptions, adding owner/realty company photographs and providing any new service enhancements, such as our "Insta-Load" technology. Recently, we added large photographs and directions via Google and MapQuest, which can now utilize latitude and longitude for remote areas. We have also developed a new interactive map feature that displays properties on a map.

Does Mouse On House provide 360-degree "spin" photographs, like as a traditional virtual tour?
No. We differentiate ourselves from the traditional virtual tour by using a wide-angle lens and providing a floor plan, complemented by photographs of every room, multiple exterior photographs, as well as additional high-resolution photographs. The potential renter can view your home at their pace and instantly view what is important to them.

Why is using Mouse On House better than using a 360-degree view?
The method we use provides a better overall feel for the home than a 360-degree rendering. Additionally, our "Insta-Load" technology loads much faster than the traditional virtual tour, which makes the tour available instantly - you don't have to wait for the tour to load before viewing it. Another downside of a "360 spin" is that it requires an application download, such as the Microsoft Java Virtual Machine (MSJVM). We do not require downloads of any kind, which is why you don't see any technical support issues listed in our FAQs. Therefore your renters will never get a message that says they do not have the appropriate player to view the tour.  Incidentally, the MSJVM reached the end of its viability on June 30, 2009. Microsoft indicated, "Customers are encouraged to take proactive measures to stay informed about obsolete software and move away from the MSJVM in a timely fashion." See www.microsoft.com/java for more details.

How will my property get listed on my rental company's website?
We provide the link to the rental office, and will work to provide a simple link that the webmaster can cut and paste on to a property's Web page. Often, working with the webmaster is not required because the link can be placed directly into the property's description area.

How will my property listing look on my rental company's website?
Typically an image link like the example below is placed in the description area of your rental listing:

Is there a “Loading Tour” splash page?
We have a fast method of loading images so the user does not have to experience a wait. All the tour images are downloaded to the user’s browser while they are looking at the tour so the images will display quickly. If you experience a delay, you may have a slow internet connection or your internet connection could be temporally busy. If you have a slow internet connection then you can change the size of the browser window and smaller images will be downloaded decreasing the time required to view the image. We rarely receive questions about slow tour images and the issue has always been a slow internet connection. You can check your internet connection speed by going to www.SpeedTest.net or www.speakeasy.net/speedtest.

Here is a test result using SpeedTest.net:

Ping rates measure how long it takes data to travel from your computer to the internet and back. A ping rate should be below 100 for a good broadband connection. Download speeds above 5 Mbps will perform nicely. If you consistently have a high ping rate or slow speed consider these solutions:

• Power off and on your network equipment.
• Reboot your computer.
• Have your internal wiring checked.
• Delete your temporary internet files in your browser. Search “How to Delete Temporary Internet Files”.
• Request a connection check with your internet provider.

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