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Zillow's 3D home tours are available across North America

You'll have a better feel for a house without stepping inside.

You might have an easier time getting a feel for a home the next time you're looking for a new place to live. Zillow has finally made its 3D home tours available across the US and Canada, letting real estate agents spice up their listings through an iOS app. The basic concept remains the same -- sellers create 360-degree panoramas of rooms (either with an iPhone or though a Ricoh Theta V or Z1 camera) and let the app stitch them together to create a "seamless" tour. It's not a VR tour, but it could help you save the in-person visits for the homes that truly catch your eye.

Realtors can add 3D tours to their listings for free, and they're relatively quick to make. They can take "as little as" 15 to 20 minutes to produce, Zillow said. In short, you could see these virtual showcases attached to many listings before long, and not just luxurious estates. You might just have an easier time creating a short list of homes that merit your attention.