5 Reasons Why Every Real Estate Needs To Use Virtual Tours

Virtual tours have been transforming the real estate industry. Home buyers are using the internet more and more to search and explore properties online. A virtual tour gives them a realistic experience of the properties they are looking at on their computer or phone.

A 360-degree online tour means viewers can move around and walk through each space, looking at each room from every angle, as if they were there in person.

Virtual tours are the perfect way to show buyers around a property from the comfort of their own home. They are more than a fad or a nice-to-have tool, they are becoming a solution that real estate agents cannot afford not to have.

Here are five reasons why you need to add a virtual tour to your online listings.

24/7 Access For Home Hunters Anywhere In The World

In our local area alone, there are hundreds of homes for sale. For potential buyers it takes time to see, evaluate, compare and consider all the homes they are interested in. Often buyers must wait until the weekend to be able to arrange to visit properties they like.

Technology has scientifically helped streamline this process over the last few years. Online solutions, such as virtual tours, allow buyers from all over the world to ‘visit’ homes anytime day or night from the comfort, and privacy, of their own home.

Virtual tours, virtual reality – this technology lets estate agents work more productively. It does not matter where in the world buyers live – a virtual tour helps showcase a property not only to long-distance buyers but also to buyers who have disabilities or mobility issues. This constant online access means agents can work with more clients at one time, processing more inquiries and make more sales.

Walk Through At Your Own Pace

Invite buyers to take their time and walk through each property at their own pace. There is nothing more engaging that a virtual tour and if a picture paints a thousand words then a virtual tour paints a million!

An online 360 virtual tour is the buyers first viewing, the intention isn’t to eliminate in-person viewings but to ensure when someone does request a ‘second’ viewing they are a qualified buyers, a person interested and already one step closer to signing on the dotted line.

Taking their time to walk through a virtual tour on your website means users will stay on your site longer, this is great for your SEO listings and gives buyers more time to emotionally connect with the space.

Unlike a video, a virtual tour allows the viewer to easily access any room at any time, backtrack or linger at their discretion. They can easily access the tour through their web browser or mobile device and control the pace and direction of the tour every step of the way.

Save Time and Money

A virtual tour will help you identify interested buyers, weed out time wasters, and contribute towards a greater conversion rate. A virtual tour helps the buyer create an emotional connection with the property – they can picture themselves living in the space, plan there they will put furniture and how it would feel to call that house home. When a buyer contacts you after already viewing a virtual tour it means they are familiar with the property, they have taken the time to have a good look around the they are genuinely interested. This entire process helps to eliminate people who are just browsing from ready-to-purchase buyers – if people are contacting you after seeing the virtual tour, they are interested in buying the house and you already have a higher chance of making the sale.

A more informed buyer will save themselves, and their real estate agent, valuable time by filtering out homes they are not interested in. Work with your buyers, give them the tools and information they need to explore each property as much as they can before they contact you. Let a cost-effective virtual tour do the heavy lifting for you.

It’s Still A New Frontier To Conquer

Virtual Tours are the latest and most credible way to promote properties that are for sale or rent but agencies can be slow adopters. Now is the time to get ahead of your competition.

With virtual tours still being a relatively new technology, real estate agencies are learning how to get the most out of virtual tours. If you jump in now and start using virtual tours on your website you can quickly become a leader in your area.

Give potential buyers all the information they need to make an informed decision about a property while they are on your website.

Present The Property The Way You Want It To Be

Virtual tours are cost-effective, and the production process is simple and straight forward. With that being said, there are lots of tips and tricks that will help ensure your virtual tour is giving viewers a great ‘walk-through’ experience.

When engaging a 360 photographer make sure they have a great 360 camera and can capture high-quality 360 photographers for your virtual tour. If the property is hard to see buyers may bounce off and move onto the next property.

Make sure the property is looking it’s best when the 360 photographer arrives to capture the virtual tour – each space should look both lived-in and inviting. You also want to arrange a time when the property will be flooded with natural light – so everything is bright and feel fresh.

A good 360 photographer will put themselves in the buyer’s shoes and shoot the tour as the buyer would walk through the space, stopping at interesting features, helping map out the flow of the tour.

Another great thing to remember is that the tour does not have to end at the fence line – is there a local park or feature you’d like to include? Use the virtual tour to highlight some of the neighbourhood charm.

A virtual tour, when used effectively, can go a long way toward showing the true nature, unique features and interesting aspects of your property to buyers.

Real estate is a competitive market – a market that is moving more and more online. Professional photos are great and floor plans are helpful, but nothing gives a buyer an immersive experience like a virtual tour they can self-pace and engage with at any time, from anywhere in the world.

Allow buyers to roam freely through properties, finding the ones they love the most so when they contact you, they are doing so with genuine interest.