If property listings that use video get four times as many views as those without, how much do you think virtual tours will boost visibility? Virtual tours of homes are becoming more common in everyday home sales to help people understand and share how the inside of a home looks. If you haven't joined the throngs using this tool, maybe it's time you did.
This article will help you understand what you are missing out on with every real estate listing you post that does not feature a 3D home tour. As you read on, think about how you would benefit from the faster sales and increased reach they would likely bring.
Unique Boons of Virtual Tours
By creating real estate tours that people can access over the Internet, you offer both you and any potential buyers a great many benefits. They include:
Build a Sense of Ownership
Allowing someone to "walk" around a space they might one day own, even in a virtual setting, allows them to visualize how they would make it theirs. While it's not quite "putting the keys in their hand", it can build a sense of ownership that people would not get from pictures alone.
As people can move through the space in their own time, they can slowly connect with it. This can create a mood where they will worry they might miss out if they do not act fast to claim it for their own.
By using interactive features, such as on-screen buttons that link to things like local amenities, this is enhanced further. They will not only imagine what it is like to be in a space they have designed for themselves, but what it would be like to live there long-term.
No Need for a Walk-Through
A 3D home walk-through means that you do not need to go to the space yourself and show anyone around. Nor do you need to hire someone to do this for you. Potential buyers can instead do this in their own time, with minimal hassle, and not even need to dress up to leave the house.
This frees you up to perform other work that may be relevant to the sale of the toured home or any other. If people still want to have a look-through in person, it may also mean they are among the most invested in the space, reducing wasted time.
Communicating the Internal Space
Virtual house tours can give people a better sense of a space's three-dimensional layout than any photo could. Unmoving images are not able to show off how the layout of an area can affect the flow from one room to another and rarely show off smaller spaces. Thus, if you need someone to understand the size of a narrow hallway or small entry area, a virtual tour can do that whereas most other media cannot.
Another way this helps is that those looking to move into a new home will often want to understand how furniture might fit into the area. With a 3D tour, you can expect people will get a better sense of space and thus know if their sofa will work in a room without needing to go there themselves.
Reach More Buyers Than with Real-World Tours
Trying to organize a viewing can often be very difficult when people are far away in the real world. By creating virtual tours, you offer more opportunities for people to engage with your homes. They can then do this regardless of their location or even their general availability.
Such options can also work when people's lack of free time makes it difficult for you to engage with them. They might work late at night, or they might have more than one occupation and only get time to check in at home during lunch breaks.
No matter how difficult it is for others, having a 3D virtual tour ensures you get as many good real estate leads as possible. People can even perform several tours in a shorter space of time without even needing to contact you.
Take the Pressure Off Time-Limited Visits
When you are only showing off a home for a limited space of time, it may make it difficult for some people to turn up and get around fast. Thus, if they believe they need extra time, or if multiple buyers want to have a tour, the virtual option gives them all a little more freedom.
Increase Your SEO
By putting virtual tours on your website, you not only encourage people to visit, but to return many times and send links to their family or peers. Engaging experiences will often bring in more users, whether they want to buy a home or not. By receiving more visitors to your site, you will create traffic, and thus organic growth, pushing you up the Google search rankings.
Over time, your site might become the go-to page for real estate in your area if you continue to get heavy activity due to 3D tours.
Become a Real Estate Industry Leader
By embracing technology, such as the 3D modeling techniques offered by home tour software, you will show yourself to be an industry leader. This, in turn, will likely draw in tech-savvy clients you would not otherwise have attracted.
You may also open yourself up to better networking and industry opportunities by discussing such things in the open. Blog posts that discuss how 3D tours helped you or could help others would be a good start.
Cost-Effective Tours
Sometimes you might need to go visit disparate locations to allow potential buyers in. This can take a lot of your time, and waste your money with travel or not getting on with other work. This is also true for the buyers, who might not want to spend money on the gas they need to get to a location.
By offering digital tours, you empower both yourself and others to save your money and spend it somewhere more useful instead.
Allow Buyers to Check the Property Multiple Times
Sometimes a buyer might leave a property, but then want to return later to check something else out. This is usually only a little thing, like to clarify how a specific room looks, or to see if an area has good natural lighting.
In most cases, this would be hard to do after the fact. With a 3D tour, though, the person can not only visit again once but can do so as many times as they might need to. This takes a lot of weight off people's shoulders; they can then invest in planning for a major move instead.
Don't Forget the Details
Should you decide to create a digital tour, there are a few things you need to consider. These should help you create the most impactful walk-through possible.
Base the Tour on the Home's Existing Layout
Some 3D home tours base their layout on what images you might see in a traditional real estate photo album. They only get images of specific rooms and only allow you to rotate in specific angles or positions.
Instead, aim to allow someone to walk around every few meters and see all the rooms from as many angles as possible. This will help people understand the real feeling of being in that space and can give them a real feeling as though they have been there.
If there are hallways or main thoroughfares, allow people to take "steps" through them. This will allow people to understand what it would be like to have a tour, not only see imagery.
Highlight Areas of Interest
Make sure to place viewing positions down around places people will want to congregate. These might be areas with pleasant views, locations with cozy vibes, or places people might expect to spend a long time, such as out on a balcony.
Use the Right Hardware and Software
Make sure to invest in the right cameras and software you need to capture high-quality visuals for such a tour. If you are unsure how to make one yourself, though, then partner with someone who can help you get started. Find a service that can make one for you, maybe one that can even create VR tours, and watch as your views skyrocket.
Don't Be Shy About Editing
Not everywhere in a home will be perfect for a tour. There might be a small pile of an owner's belongings or a painting that might turn away buyers. There is nothing wrong with removing some of these with a little Photoshop magic, just so long as you do not misrepresent the home.
Ensure Virtual Tours of Homes Help You
With the understanding that creating virtual tours of homes can help you and potential buyers reach a sale, they can be a very powerful tool. You might want to make the best use of them by learning more about their functionality.
We offer the option to create such tours in your area, to help you get homes out of your hands and into the possession of buyers. So, get in contact to learn how we can start the process of putting together a 3D tour today.