James Hoback Owner's (hobievirtualtours) Blog

The future leaders of America will have served in the military and will have a better understanding of war, what is wrought by it and will be better guided by their military service. They, unlike so many in Government these days who have NO idea of what it means to be in the military, will unders...

The name of an article from the PEW institute of research. Follow this link to read the article:   http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2006/PIP_Virtual_Tours_2006.pdf.pdf Brave New World is upon us, even if it is somewhat different than the story of the book by that name. Think back...

The buzz word in real estate sales is 'THE INTERNET'.  I would venture to say any realtor worth their salt has a website. And along with that are pictures of the real estate for sale. So how does that stand out from the rest of the pack.  You say the words I use are really thought out.  The reali...

As I drive around San Antonio, especially the far NorthWest (along I-10) and the West (along U.S.90) one would not know there is a housing slump. The amount of building going on is amazing. Perhaps San Antonio is not suffering as much as the rest of the U.S. However as I say this, I think of the ...

Almost three decades ago, I began having headaches.  So, you say, that's nothing, I've had headaches all my life.  But my headaches seemed to have no etiology.  I would wake up about 2AM and feel a slight pain at the base of my head/neck area.  It would develop into a debilitation headache, that ...

Tip from Hobie: I find that I am too busy to read all the magazines or if I find an article, there is not enough time to go through it or act on it at the time.  Then it gets lost and eventually thrown out, b/c I don't remember which page/month/name of article. So, in the end it is lost.  HOW TO ...

I've driven in Tokyo, I've driven in Paris, I've driven in D.C., I've driven in New York City, I've driven in L.A. but by far the worst or craziest was in Valencia Spain. Litterally, you drive to get ahead. If you worry about the car next to, you will not get anywhere.  You make and take your pat...

I have a question for realtors.  How many of you have used/bought/contracted for a 360 degree panographic virtual tour?  HGTV uses a virtual tour to showcase the yearly home of the year give a way. Its what got me thinking and ultimately into this business.  Also I have a friend that has 16 acres...

With the new year in high gear and the prospects of not much in the way of good economic news, thoughts may wonder back to "the good old days".  Were the "good old days" good?  Well, I won't get into that now, but someday. (Geez, I need to check and see if I have my 'roundtoit' in my pocket.)  Is...

While much of the country is suffering from some major housing crunches, the San Antonio market is not feeling the pinch as much.  Part of the reason is that San Antonio had not riden the high wave of bloated housing prices and the San Antonio area has one of the lowest  living expenses.  Having ...