For years, virtual tours have had an impact on real estate marketing services. They are now proving to be valuable tools at times when in-person open houses and showings are not possible due to the impact of COVID-19. Furthermore, house buyers have come to expect the immersive experience of a virtual tour to accompany a property listing, as the majority of them begin their home searches online.
However, not all agents are fully utilizing the tools at their disposal. And many people are settling for less than genuine. In today’s market, it makes sense to think about how a virtual tour – a genuine one – might draw the correct type of attention to a property and exhibit it online.
All “virtual tours” are not created equal.
When a home buyer clicks on a link to a virtual tour, for example, what they usually get is a walkthrough video tour. When done correctly, a video tour of a home is now a powerful marketing tool. However, it differs from a virtual tour. It isn’t interactive in any way. Visitors are unable to navigate independently as they would in a real residence. A real estate film takes viewers down a specific path that is better suited to conveying a tale than immersing them in the property.
The interactive floorplan is another false virtual tour. A guest can navigate this tool on their own, but what they see is a 3D model or imitation of a residence. This could include 2D photos so that potential purchasers can get a sense of what a room looks like or where it fits into the wider picture. However, both in terms of navigational options and the pictures that visitors see, an interactive floor plan falls well short of an authentic virtual tour.
Unfortunately, sometimes when a shopper clicks on a “virtual tour” link, all they get is a slideshow of the same photographs they looked at in the listing. Perhaps set to music. Perhaps in a specific order. This isn’t a virtual tour.
What makes a virtual tour authentic?
So, if not one of the above, what exactly is a virtual tour? An authentic virtual tour, on the other hand, should have specific attributes or characteristics that distinguish it from other types of media such as real estate movies, interactive floor plans, and so on. A virtual tour, for example, should be immersive. It should transport a viewer inside a home as if they were there in person, with complete control over where they step. Other characteristics of a genuine virtual tour include:
1. Every space, both inside and out, has 3D visuals generated from actual footage of the property, not a fake recreation.
2. Visitors can visit any portion of the house or property at any time and for as long as they choose.
3. Easy access via a variety of digital devices, including desktop computers, smartphones, and tablets, as well as numerous operating systems.
4. High image quality, load speed, and aesthetic features such as lighting, resolution, and preventing guests from going through virtual walls on a tour Recreates the sensation of visiting a home in person.
There are different ways to make your virtual tour stand out.
Here are 9 suggestions to help your 3D house hour stand out now that you know what a proper virtual tour is – and what it isn’t.
- Home staging – Visitors should be immersed in a setting that may captivate their attention and ignite their ideas when they enter the domain of a virtual tour. An empty house is like a blank canvas. Before a home is photographed or scanned, careful staging of the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms – or virtual staging after the fact – can improve the experience.
- Lighting– The lighting in a virtual tour (or HDR photography, for that matter) should be carefully considered in order to convey the best impression of a home. A dimly lit space appears cramped and uninviting. Lighting inconsistencies from room to room produce an uneven flow across the property. To create a warm and appealing atmosphere, a skilled photographer knows how to combine natural light with high contrast accent lighting.
- Viewpoints – A virtual tour is made up of many 360-degree scans acquired using a 360-degree camera from various points across each space. Artificial intelligence “stitches” these overlapping scans together to produce a virtual world that closely mimics the real one. A scan can be performed in any room of the house or yard. It’s preferable if the scanning locations are carefully chosen. To add authenticity to the journey, each position should represent a natural halting point along an actual tour.
- Big picture – When scanning locales, one thing to keep in mind is how each view conveys not simply a sense of a room, but also how that room fits into the greater story.
What is the flow of each room into the next? How is this room connected to the rest of the house? Is it possible for a visitor to view outside from this position? These questions assist a photographer in choosing appropriate scanning positions for a virtual tour.
- Highlight special characteristics. Every house has some distinguishing feature. Or it ought to. Do you have a fireplace? Is there an architectural aspect to it? A historical feature that can be highlighted (360 showcases use Matter tags to accomplish so)? Those intriguing characteristics should be captured and highlighted in a good virtual tour.
- Get your visitors outside. Do not deny your virtual visitors the opportunity to view a home’s exterior. From the street, you can see it. Take a stroll along the pool deck or the terrace. Attach a link to a drone film that gives the tour a bird’s eye perspective for added interest.
- Enhance the viewing experience. When it comes to the digital gadgets they use, consumers have a wide range of tastes. Some will use a web browser on a laptop, while others may use a smartphone. Someone prefers an iPhone, while another wants a Galaxy. Make sure your virtual tour is compatible with a variety of platforms, including virtual reality headsets.
- Ensure that load times and latency are as low as possible. It makes no difference how excellent your virtual tour is if it takes too long to load or slows down in the middle of the tour. People have little patience for technology that isn’t up to grade, so make sure your photographs are high-resolution and load rapidly. The use of a business like virtual 360 makes this possible.
- Showcase your virtual tour in unique ways. Make sure to share virtual tour product to obtain the maximum return on investment. Quite a bit! Include them in the listing, but also make them available on your website. Share these on your favorite social media sites. Include them in an email campaign. Use a QR code to connect them to your print adverts. Come up with unique locations for your virtual tours.
People are tired of fakers, from fake items to phishing frauds. They want to have a genuine experience. For out-of-town buyers or anyone else who can’t visit a home in person for whatever reason, a true virtual tour comes as near as feasible to the real thing.
