There's a quiet crisis unfolding in the Piedmont Triad real estate market, and most homeowners don't even know it's happening.

Sellers in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, and Clemmons, North Carolina are listing their homes every day — and many of them are doing it without one of the most powerful sales tools available: the virtual tour. The decline in virtual tour usage on Zillow has been driven by a perfect storm of platform politics, industry confusion, and cost-cutting by agents. But regardless of the reason, the people paying the price aren't the agents. They're the sellers.

This post breaks down exactly what happened, why it matters, and what you can do about it if you're a seller — or an agent — who wants to maximize every listing.

The Matterport-Zillow Fallout: What Happened

To understand why so many real estate listings in the Piedmont Triad and across the country are now missing virtual tours, you have to understand a seismic shift that rocked the industry in late 2025.

On October 20, 2025, agents across the country began receiving emails from Zillow with unwelcome news: their Matterport 3D virtual tours had been stripped from their listings. Overnight. Without warning.

The reason? CoStar Group — a massive real estate data company that acquired Matterport for $1.6 billion — declined to renew its API agreement with Zillow. Because Zillow and CoStar's Homes.com are direct competitors, CoStar updated Matterport's terms of service to restrict its 3D tour content from appearing on competing platforms — including Zillow.

Zillow responded by accusing CoStar of trying to "wall off data and restrict how real estate professionals use the content they pay for." CoStar fired back, calling Zillow's statements a misrepresentation of the licensing terms. Meanwhile, agents and their seller clients were caught in the crossfire.

The practical result was clear regardless of who was right: Matterport tours — the industry's most widely-used 3D virtual tour platform — were no longer appearing on Zillow listings. For agents who had built their real estate mediaworkflow around Matterport, this was a significant disruption. Many simply stopped offering virtual tours altogether rather than navigate the confusion.

That decision is costing their sellers dearly.

Why Agents Pulled Back — And Why That's a Mistake

When a technology disruption like the Matterport-Zillow fallout hits, agents face a choice: adapt quickly or retreat. Too many chose retreat.

Some agents convinced themselves that virtual tours weren't worth the hassle. Others decided that in a competitive market, homes would sell anyway. A few were simply unaware of alternative platforms that still work seamlessly with Zillow. And some made a quiet business decision to cut costs on real estate photography and media production to protect their own margins.

But here's what those agents aren't telling their clients: the data on virtual tours is overwhelming, and walking away from them has measurable consequences for sellers.

Consider what the numbers actually show:

• 90% of buyers are more likely to view a property when it includes a virtual tour
• 67% of home buyers say they want a virtual tour when looking at a listing
• 54% of buyers won't even consider scheduling an in-person showing if a listing doesn't include a virtual tour
• Listings with a virtual home tour receive 87% more views than those without one
• Buyers spend 5 to 10 times longer on websites that feature virtual tours
• 75% of potential buyers consider virtual tours a major factor in their purchasing decisions

Let that last one sink in. Three-quarters of the buying pool consider virtual tours a major factor — not a nice-to-have, a major factor — and yet agents across Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Kernersville, High Point, and Clemmons are listing homes without them because one platform changed its API agreement.

That's not a technology problem. That's a representation problem.

The Seller's Perspective: What You Don't Know Is Hurting You

If you're a homeowner in the Piedmont Triad who has recently listed — or is about to list — your property, you need to ask your agent a direct question: "Does my listing include a virtual tour?"

If the answer is no, or if your agent dismisses the idea as unnecessary, here's what that could be costing you.

Reduced Online Visibility

Zillow remains the dominant real estate platform in America, with over 227 million monthly active users and 9.3 billion visits recorded in 2024 alone. When buyers scroll through listings in Greensboro or search for homes in Clemmons or Kernersville, they're filtering — consciously or not — toward listings that offer more information. A listing with a virtual tour stands out in a sea of static photos. A listing without one gets skipped.

Fewer Qualified Leads

Virtual tours don't just attract more viewers — they attract better viewers. A buyer who has already walked through your home virtually and is still requesting a showing is a motivated, serious buyer. They've pre-qualified themselves. Agents who skip virtual tours are trading a pipeline of pre-screened, high-intent buyers for a smaller pool of cold leads who may not even like the layout once they arrive.

Longer Days on Market

Homes that capture buyer attention quickly tend to sell faster. In a market like Winston-Salem or High Point, where inventory levels and interest rates have created real competition among sellers, every day on the market matters. Listings that generate strong early engagement — driven by compelling real estate media including virtual tours — tend to attract multiple offers sooner. Listings that linger create doubt in buyers' minds and often lead to price reductions.

Smaller Final Sale Price

This is the bottom line for sellers. When fewer buyers engage with your listing, when serious prospects skip past it, when your days on market stretch longer than your neighbors' — the result is almost always the same: a lower final sale price. Virtual tours and premium real estate photography don't just make listings look better. They create competitive urgency among buyers, which is what drives prices up.

Zillow Still Supports Virtual Tours — Agents Just Need to Adapt

Here's the important clarification that many agents have missed in the aftermath of the Matterport fallout: Zillow still supports virtual tours. Matterport was one platform among many, and its removal from Zillow's ecosystem doesn't mean virtual tours are gone — it means agents need to use alternative providers.

Zillow confirmed it would continue supporting 3D tours captured through other platforms and tools. Agents who adapted quickly by exploring these alternatives maintained their ability to offer fully immersive, interactive property experiences to buyers.

The disruption was real. But it was also temporary for agents who were willing to adjust. The agents who used it as an excuse to stop offering virtual tours entirely made a choice — and their sellers are bearing the consequences.

The Bigger Picture: Real Estate Media Is Not Optional

The Matterport situation is a symptom of a larger problem in how some agents approach real estate media in the Piedmont Triad market. There's a tendency — particularly in markets where homes are moving — to cut corners on marketing.

"The home will sell itself."

"We don't need to spend money on virtual tours or professional photography."

"Buyers will schedule a showing if they're interested."

These are the lines sellers sometimes hear from agents who are trying to protect their commission by minimizing marketing expenditures. And while it may be true that a home will eventually sell under almost any marketing conditions, "eventually" is not in your best interest as a seller.

Research consistently shows that professional real estate photography and high-quality real estate media — including virtual tours, drone footage, and video walkthroughs — produce measurable results:

• High-quality photography helps agents win more listings, according to 72% of real estate professionals
• Aerial photos and drone footage help homes sell 68% faster than those without
• 73% of homeowners say they're more likely to list with an agent who uses video to sell properties
• The global virtual tour market — valued at over $11 billion — is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 34% through 2030, driven largely by real estate

The market is moving toward immersive, media-rich experiences. Buyers in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, and Clemmons are searching on their phones at midnight, comparing listings from across the country with a level of sophistication that simply didn't exist a decade ago. They expect more. And they're willing to walk past listings that give them less.

What Sellers Should Demand from Their Agent

If you're preparing to list a home anywhere in the Piedmont Triad, here is a short list of what your marketing plan should include — and what to demand if it doesn't:

Professional Photography: Not agent-shot phone photos. Not rushed walkthroughs. High-resolution, professionally lit, expertly composed images that show your home at its absolute best.

Virtual Tour: A fully interactive 3D tour that lets buyers explore every room at their own pace, from anywhere in the world, at any time of day.

Drone/Aerial Imagery: Especially valuable for properties with acreage, distinctive architecture, or proximity to parks, lakes, or scenic features common throughout the Piedmont Triad.

Video Walkthrough: A cinematic video tour that tells the story of your home and creates emotional connection before a buyer ever steps through the door.

If your agent doesn't offer these — or suggests they're unnecessary — ask yourself whether their cost-saving philosophy aligns with your goal of selling quickly and for maximum value.

🏡 Make Your Listing Impossible to Ignore with Mark Jacobs Productions

If you're a homeowner or real estate agent in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Kernersville, High Point, Clemmons, or anywhere across North Carolina's Piedmont Triad, the most important decision you'll make in marketing a property is who captures it.

Mark Jacobs Productions is a premier real estate media company delivering the photography, virtual tours, drone imagery, and video content that makes listings stand out — and sell.

Here's what working with Mark Jacobs Productions means for sellers and agents:

Virtual Tours That Work Everywhere: Forget the Matterport-Zillow drama. Mark Jacobs Productions delivers virtual tour solutions that are platform-compatible, immersive, and designed to keep buyers engaged long after their first click.

Professional Real Estate Photography: Every image is composed, lit, and edited to present your property at its very best — because buyers form their first impression in under three seconds, and that impression determines whether they schedule a showing or scroll past.

Drone and Aerial Coverage: Showcase your property's full footprint, its relationship to the neighborhood, and any distinctive outdoor features that static ground-level photography simply can't capture.

Cinematic Video Walkthroughs: Give buyers the experience of being inside your home before they ever make the drive. High-quality video builds emotional connection, and emotional connection drives offers.

The numbers don't lie: listings with professional media sell faster, attract more qualified buyers, and close at higher prices. In a market as competitive as the Piedmont Triad, that difference can be tens of thousands of dollars.

Don't let your agent's reluctance to invest in premium real estate media cost you money on the most significant financial transaction of your life.

👉 Visit www.MarkJacobsProductions.com to view the portfolio, explore services, and book your shoot today. Your home deserves to be seen — and Mark Jacobs Productions makes sure it is.

The Bottom Line

The decline in virtual tour usage on Zillow is a cautionary tale about what happens when industry disputes trickle down to affect real sellers in real markets. In Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, Clemmons, and across the Piedmont Triad, homeowners listing without virtual tours are at a measurable disadvantage — fewer views, fewer qualified leads, longer days on market, and ultimately lower sale prices.

The technology hasn't disappeared. The buyer demand hasn't gone away. What's missing, in too many listings, is an agent willing to do the work — and a media partner capable of delivering results.

Your home is worth more than a camera phone and a prayer. Make sure your listing shows it.

Ready to elevate your listing with professional real estate photography, virtual tours, drone imagery, and video? Contact Mark Jacobs Productions today and give your property the marketing it deserves.

For More information on Professional Real Estate Media visit:  www.MarkJacobsProductions.com Online Booking available at www.markjacobsproductions.com/booking Check out Residential Real Estate Media  and our Commercial Real Estate Media today.  We also offer AirBnB and VRBO photography and Commercial Media Services  Serving Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lake Norman, Mooresville, Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville and beyond