6 Tips for Effective Virtual Real Estate Tours
Recent virtual changes that have occurred in the real estate industry due to COVID-19 have made looking for a new home easier for renters and buyers. The advances in real estate technology have also made showing properties a much safer experience for agents. Here are six tips to help your virtual tours be effective in your market.
Get Ready
Before you begin shooting a virtual tour, create a list of the rooms and arrange the filming in an ordered progression. If you begin at the front door walk through as if you were showing the property in person.
Add the home’s special features or highlights to this list. If the property is empty it will be easy to clean but remember to close toilets and remove any dust from horizontal surfaces. If the home is occupied, ask the current tenant or homeowner to do a thorough cleaning and tidying up before video day. Move family photos or any other personal items out of camera range. This step is as much for safety as it is for appearances.
Lighting
Open all shades, blinds, and drapery to admit as much natural light as possible. If necessary, turn a few lights on to focus on key aspects of the property. It is generally better to shoot interiors in the mid-to-late afternoon to avoid the harsh glare of a noon sun. Open interior doors as wide as possible so that light permeates the space. This also lends a feeling of spaciousness to a home.
Hardware
Newer smart devices have editing features that rival professional equipment. It is best to experiment with your editing skills before taking footage of a listing. Investigate your choices in cameras and lenses on-line. Investing in the best equipment you can afford, including a wide-angle lens, will help you create footage that will entrance a potential client.
If you plan to use your smartphone or tablet, consider renting or buying a tripod to prevent the shaky type of footage used to film movies like The Blair Witch project.
Camera Placement
According to Max Real Estate Exposure, “You will want to conduct the virtual tour in the same manner that you would guide a client through a home. Shoot one room at a time, highlighting the best, or unique aspects of the room. If you are using a tripod adjust the height to eye level and pan slowly around the space.
Stop filming and take shots of the focal points of the room. The kitchen is a good place to pull out a drawer or two and peek into the pantry. There are software sites that specialize in virtual home tours and can produce 2D or 3D imagery, so clients feel they are truly seeing everything a home has to offer. Matterport, CloudPano and My360 are just a few of the sites that offer professional virtual tour services to the real estate industry.
Staging
The benefits to a staged home are undeniable. Staging gives clients a sense of the proportions of a room and allows them to imagine living in the home. Luckily, you do not have to lug furnishings in and out of a home anymore.
Virtual staging companies use your photos and then choose from vast libraries of furnishings to design a room that looks perfect. Furniture is fitted and placed to look realistic and aesthetically pleasing.
Turn-around time ranges from 24-72 hours, depending on the number of rooms and prices run from $25. per image and up. Professional designers do the work and usually include some revisions. If you have design chops, virtual staging software is available. If you are not familiar with virtual design, you may have issues creating a realistic room setting.
Your Virtual Tour
The purpose of a virtual real estate tour is to sell your properties. Once you have suitable footage, upload it to your website. Make sure your site is convenient to find and use. Add information about the area the property is in and describe special amenities. Include easy contact information.
With the newest technologies and these tips you will be able to create outstanding virtual tours that visitors to your site will visit time and time again.
