A NEW Fylde estate agency has 'brought the area's property market into the 21st Century' after introducing the North West's first high-tech virtual house tour.

The tour is the brainchild of property entrepreneur, Sheila Royle, who opened the doors to her first solo venture -- Royle Estate Agents -- on Ball Street, Poulton, on September 12.

Sheila -- who has spent more than 18 years in the industry -- claims the service is often used by estate agencies in other parts of the world, but is the first of its kind in Lancashire. She says it will help to reduce the lengthy buying and selling process by allowing potential clients the chance to view at their leisure.

Sheila said: "The initial viewing of a property is one of the most important stages in buying a new home because first impressions count for a lot. But quite often it's hard to arrange times to suit both parties and -- as anybody who has sold a house knows there's pressure on the vendor to be available for inspection at the drop of a hat.

"The virtual tour offers a quick and convenient chance to look round a property from the comfort of your own home or office.

"It's also not limited to any geographical area because househunters from anywhere in the UK or throughout the world can take a look around your property.

"The nearest agent to offer the virtual tour is in the Leeds area but, as far as I know, we are the only independent agency in the North West to have similar on-line facilities."

The tour works by filtering video footage of the property through specialist software.

Images are then reconstructed to create a 360 degree tour of the property giving the virtual visitor the impression of standing in the centre of each room.

Potential buyers log on to the website to access any property and can leave their own contact details if they want to arrange a further visit in person. Sheila and her team, including husband, David, are also able to send out emails and SMS text messages to customers' mobile phones -- if they have logged their househunting criteria on the site -- the minute a suitable property becomes available.

Sheila said: "We believe that services like this are just the beginning of the future for the industry and we hope, in our own small way, to have brought the area's property market into the 21st Century."