Date Archives: February 2021

Did you know the photos and videos of your listing aren't the only ways you can sell your home? These days, people are looking for a reliable way to judge the layout and space without even needing to set up a walkthrough.

This is where virtual tours come into play. These online home showings give potential buyers a better sense of the size of your property. Even better, this enables you to only speak with people who are actually interested in your home. 

Read on to learn everything you need to know about virtual home tours for home selling! 

What Are Virtual Home Tours? 

A virtual home tour is any method of allowing interested buyers to view and "walk around" a home without needing to be there.

These differ from still photos or regular video because buyers have the flexibility of viewing home the way they want to. For instance, a virtual tour will enable a buyer to decide what room they want to view next after they've viewed the home's foyer. 

This interactivity and the ability to control what they want to view gives buyers a better idea of the layout and size of a space. 

Virtual Home Tour Tools

If this sounds like something you'd like to adopt, there are easy ways to get started. Virtual home tours don't require any special technology–you can actually get started with your smartphone. 

Video Tours 

A common virtual tour technique is to have a live tour with buyers, and this can be through Instagram, FaceTime, Facebook, and more. The best part about this option is that buyers can communicate with the realtor and let them know what they want to see next.

Virtual open houses can also take place by using Instagram or Facebook Live. With these features, you can essentially create a viewing for hundreds of people at the same time.

Increase the number of viewers by marketing the listing on social media and announcing ahead of time when the virtual tour will be taking place. Some realtors even opt to create a separate event page for the tour so people can save it. 

3D Tours

If you don't want to repeatedly hold live video tours, 3D tours are the next and most common option. Depending on the quality of the tour you want, you can either do it yourself through Matterport or hire a professional that has the more advanced gear. 

Matterport 3D tours allow you to use your phone or their proprietary gear in order to create a 3D version of a space. This requires you to hold your phone steady and "scan" it around the property.

Although this doesn't require any investment in extra gear and only a small subscription fee, some people find that it can take too long to scan the space. You'll want to put aside at least 30 minutes in order to ensure that a good 3D version of the property is being posted. 

Hiring a professional is the best option. This is because they have 3D gear that allows them to quickly create a 3D tour for you–plus, you'll notice the quality is better. These tours are commonly advertised as Matterport tours, 360 tours, or 3D tours. 

Market Your Virtual Tour

If you work with a professional in order to create a 3D tour of the property, they'll provide you with a website where the tour is instantly available to anyone who has the link. Make sure you post the link on all of your social media channels as well as your website. 

Your MLS should also give you the ability to link to a virtual tour. Regardless of whether it's a link to a Matterport tour with your cellphone or a Matterport 3D camera, make sure that you give people who are browsing for homes this option! 

Benefits of Virtual Tours

Now that you know how to get started with virtual real estate tours, what are some of the benefits you can enjoy? Here are just a few: 

Save Time

Posting a virtual tour on the MLS will be able to weed out interested buyers from the ones that aren't so interested. This is because they'll be able to instantly tell whether they like the layout and size of the space or not. 

Save Money

Driving back and forth to the listing for open houses can increase expenses. You may also find that a virtual tour may not make it necessary to invest in more social media ads, brochures, and other traditional methods of advertising a property. 

Marketing Potential 

The engagement and excitement of a virtual tour have great marketing potential. For instance, posting a virtual tour on your website can increase how much time viewers spend on a web page. As they interact with the tour and consider whether they want to move forward, they're far more likely to look at the rest of your website or sign up for a mailing list. 

Selling Your Home Fast With Technology 

Virtual home tours can benefit your listings immensely by boosting the ability to sell them fast. People who are browsing in the comfort of their own homes have the ability to tour a home. Beyond photos, a virtual tour will give them a better idea of the layout and size of the space. 

Scheduling in-person walkthroughs of a property can be a waste of time for both parties if they find they dislike the home immediately. Experienced realtors know that by offering a virtual tour, you can weed out the truly interested buyers from the ones who were interested in the photos, but after further exploration found out that the home wasn't for them.

Ready to connect with a realtor that knows how to effectively market homes? Contact Aaron Rietsema today!