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About Virtual Tours
Also known as 3D walkthroughs or 3D tours, virtual tours allow property buyers to tour or view a for-sale home digitally.
With this method, the shopper gets an opportunity to view different parts of the house from different angles.
For instance, the prospective online shopper can decide to zoom in or zoom out in case they want to focus on a particular area of the house.
Therefore, the shopper will have a better feel of how the property looks before they attend a physical showing.
Compared to listing videos, virtual tours give the online home shopper a better experience since they are more interactive.
Benefits of Using Virtual Tours
Virtual tours are one of the most effective methods of promoting homes and properties for sale. And as a realtor, they should already be part of your digital marketing plan. Here are some of the benefits of using virtual tours:
Close More Sales
Whenever a realtor lists a home for sale, numerous people will view the listing, with only a few making inquiries. Out of the potential buyers that make inquiries, more than half will opt against visiting the property, depending on various reasons.
For those who go ahead to visit the property, a considerable number will not buy it, as it may not meet their expectations. And this is understandable, considering they had only interacted with the property via photos.
Simply put, most people’s interest in buying a house mainly relies on the expectations you create in their minds before they decide to visit. And this is where virtual tours come in.
With virtual tours, everyone will have a chance to view the property and experience how it looks like before the actual site visit. They will get a complete visual and a feel of how it will look like prior to the in-person visit.
So, by the time a potential buyer decides to call you, they are already interested in the house. And the chances of closing the sale will be high. Furthermore, this will help to reduce minimize the showings.
Save Time
As mentioned above, virtual tours will help to eliminate unnecessary inquiries. Thanks to these tours, you will no longer have to spend your entire workday answering thousands of calls.
Also, they will save you from explaining lengthy details about a house to each particular shopper and trying to convince.
By the time someone gives you a call and enquires about a house, they have already developed a genuine interest.
You simply need to create time, set up a visit with the potential buyer and close the deal.
Simply put, they will save you a considerable amount of time, thus allowing you to focus on the core aspects of your real estate business. You will be left with adequate time to handle issues like prospecting, lead generation and marketing your real estate business.
Save Money
When you list a property for sale, you will get hundreds of inquiries from potential clients. And unless the person enquiring about the house is your next-door neighbor, you will have to drive back and forth to meet them.
Consequently, you may up spending a fortune on gas, with nothing to show for it. But with virtual tours, you will only get interested customers. And while you will still drive to meet them, there’s a high chance you will get value for your money.
Reach More Potential Buyers
Another benefit of using virtual tours is that they will enhance your reach considerably while helping you to attract more potential buyers.
With virtual tours, remote buyers, both local and international, will get an enhanced view of the property you are selling.
Also, virtual tours will come in handy for people with mobility issues who may have otherwise been locked out of the listing if you are using conventional methods only.
And the higher the number of genuinely interested buyers, the higher the chances of closing the sale faster.
Win More Listings
Whenever there’s a new property up for sale on the market, the seller will choose a listing agent. And this means you will be competing with hundreds of other realtors.
So, you will need to prove to the seller that you are the right realtor who can help them to close the deal fast and with the best offer.
And having virtual tours in your portfolio will give you a competitive edge. You will have an easier time showing the seller how you will attract the right buyers. Consequently, this will give the seller the confidence to choose you as their preferred listing agent.
Establish Yourself as a Client-Oriented Realtor
Virtual tours can also help to establish yourself as a client-oriented realtor. As you may probably know, creating a virtual takes a considerable amount of time, effort and money.
By spending these resources to come up with one, you are showing clients that you are willing to go all the way for their overall experience, thus establishing yourself as a client-oriented agent. And by doing so, you will find it easier to land clients, thus boosting your bottom line.
Steps to Creating a Virtual Tour
Without a doubt, doing a virtual comes with numerous benefits for real estate agents. So, how can you do a virtual tour? Here are the steps you should follow to create a virtual tour:
Choose the Right Equipment
Before anything else, you first need to gather the equipment you will need to shoot your virtual tour.
And one of the most important pieces of equipment for this project is a camera. The type of camera that you choose will determine the overall quality of your work.
Therefore, you will need to buy a high-quality camera, which can capture 360 videos and 3D images.
The best cameras for this type of work cost from $200 going up. A camera within the range of $200 to $500 should be more than enough to capture all the footage you need for your virtual tours.
Check the Audio
While you may have acquired a fancy camera for the shoot, there’s a high chance the audio it captures will not be perfect.
Due to such reasons, it will be highly advisable to go for additional or external microphones. Such microphones will help you to capture refined, clear, and crisp audio.
And you don’t need fancy microphones for this type of work. Something as simple as a lavalier microphone connected to a smartphone will be more than enough to do the job.
Remember to check and confirm the microphone is working properly before you begin the shoot.
Capture the 360 Videos and 3D Pictures
Once you’ve acquired the right camera for the tours, you can then start shooting the photos. And there are different approaches that you can use for this project.
You can start by capturing one or two photos from the street adjoining the property and another one for the property’s front yard.
After capturing those photos, you can then proceed to capture additional photos from both sides of the house. Also, ensure you capture the backyard.
Once you’ve finished shooting the property’s exterior, you should then proceed to the interior. Make sure you open the front door and capture the entryway.
It’s important to open the doors and windows as well as turn on the lights to ensure the footage will be clear. You should shoot as many interior photos as possible.
Check and confirm you have all the photos for each room before you proceed to the next one.
Piece Your Virtual Tour Together
By now, you’ve already captured enough 360 videos and 3D images needed for the virtual tour. It’s now time to piece them together and form the virtual tour
Stitching them together is the most important part of your project since this is where you will be incorporating the audio, stitch all the videos and audios together, add hotspots and other vital features.
So, ensure you don’t do it in a rush. Also, avoid adding too many animations to the virtual tour since they may end up distracting the viewer.
Some of the editing software that you can use for this project include Briovr, Adobe Premiere Pro, MAGIX Movie Edit Pro, Final Cut Pro X, and Fusion Studio, just to name a few.
Upload Your Virtual Tour
After finishing your virtual tour, it’s now time to upload it and share it with your target audience.
There are numerous hosting platforms for virtual tours. And you can choose any, depending on your budget and personal preferences.
Some of the available options include Box Browne, Ogulo, Rico360 Tours, Immoviewer, Giraffe360, Matterport and EyeSpy360, just to name a few.
Also, some editing software like Briovr have hosting platforms, meaning you can simply upload the footage as you shoot. Such platforms will then piece your footage together, thus simplifying your work.
From there, you can then publish your virtual tour on MLSs, listing sites, or social media.
Wrapping it Up
Virtual tours should be part of every realtor’s marketing strategy. When properly done, they will help to reduce the amount spent with each client, help you to close sales faster, save you time and save you money. Simply put, they provide one of the most effective methods of marketing your properties.
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