Are you interested in creating a 3D home tour for your property or as part of a package for your real estate client? They're effective. In fact, virtual tours help you reach more buyers, win listings, and increase your closing rates.

Whether you're a real estate agent or a homeowner, there are a few things you should know before getting started. In this definitive guide, we'll cover everything from the benefits of 3D property tours to how to use them to market your property. 

What Are Virtual Property Tours?

Virtual property tours are a combination of technology and real estate, allowing potential buyers to view properties without leaving the comfort of their own homes. These tours usually use video or 360-degree photography to give viewers an immersive experience. 

Virtual property tours can also include virtual open houses, where potential buyers can chat with the listing agent and ask questions about the property in real-time. However, you don't have to combine a 3D home tour with a live chat to find them effective.

In today's age of social distancing and remote work, virtual property tours offer convenient and safe options for those looking to buy a new home. 

In fact, they often provide an advantage by allowing buyers to view multiple properties in a short amount of time, ultimately helping them make a more informed decision. With virtual property tours, the sky's the limit for how you help potential buyers experience and purchase real estate.

Why You Need a 3D Home Tour

95% of homebuyers use online tools in their home search process. Simply put, if you're not investing in helping today’s homebuyers easily search for and tour your home online, you're missing out on a lot of potential leads and purchases.

Aside from simply making the homebuying process more attractive, here are a few other reasons why you should be investing in 3D virtual home tours to sell homes faster.

Target Out-of-Area Buyers

Self-guided 3D tours of a property can be a game changer for attracting out-of-area buyers. With a 3D tour, potential buyers can get an in-depth, comprehensive look at every aspect of your home without ever having to set foot inside.

Plus, 3D home tours allow these potential buyers to take their time viewing the property and revisiting specific rooms or features that interest them.

Ultimately, this helps make out-of-area buyers feel more confident in their decision, increasing your chances of closing on a sale. As a real estate agent or homeowner, this can help you widen your net of potential high-quality buyers, too.

Stay COVID-Safe

While few (if any) areas of the country are still under lockdown, some of the protocols we adopted during the pandemic are here to stay. Namely, people enjoyed the digitalization of lots of aspects of life. This includes the homebuying process!

3D home tours eliminate one more risk factor that would normally come with traditional viewings, and that’s being in close quarters with strangers. While it might not be that big of a deal now, it's a plus for those interested in staying safe during cold and flu season.

Show the Home to Dozens of People in a Day

The days of scheduling multiple in-person showings for one property are over thanks to 3D home tours. As a real estate agent, you can now easily guide dozens of potential buyers through a property without ever stepping foot inside. 

Not only does this save time, but it also means there's less wear and tear on the property itself. Plus, 3D home tour technology allows buyers to get a feel for the layout of the house and spot any details they may have missed in traditional photos or videos. 

It's a win-win for both agents and clients. So why not give it a try?

Tips for a Great 3D Virtual Tour

So, you're convinced that 3D home tours are right for the property you're selling. Great! Now, how can you enhance your virtual tour to ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment? Here are five tips to follow:

1. Focus on What Sells

Just as you would with real estate photography, when crafting great virtual property tours, always focus on what sells. This means showcasing the layout and flow, and demonstrating how each room can be utilized.

It's important to take into account what buyers in your area are looking for. If everybody is interested in a renovated kitchen, highlight how beautiful your kitchen is. If they're all about the unique layout of your home, highlight that.

It's also important to stage the property in a way that highlights its strengths and downplays any potential flaws. By focusing on what sells, you can make a strong impression on potential buyers and increase the likelihood of closing a successful sale.

On the other hand, if you spend too much time focusing on insignificant details or underutilized areas of the home, it could turn off buyers or make them question its overall appeal.

2. Don't Focus on Problem Areas

If you're focusing on what sells, then you likely won't have time to focus on what doesn't sell. However, it's important to ensure you don’t focus on problem areas.

While this might seem obvious, you would be surprised at how many people leave closet doors and other areas open during the home photography session for the virtual tour.

Be sure to close closet doors or close off areas of your home that aren’t quite photo-ready. While you don't want to hide anything from potential buyers, there's no need to show off a stuffed linen closet or the pantry you haven't updated yet.

3. Think About Floor-to-Ceiling Ratio

While you'll likely hire a professional team to help you create your 3D home tour, it’s a great idea to ensure they're being mindful of the floor-to-ceiling ratio.

Taking photos for a virtual tour is different from regular real estate photography. The best angle for 3D home tours is typically about four feet off the ground. You want to ensure all photos are taken from the same height as well.

Make sure the angle allows people to see what it would look like realistically walking through the space.

4. Make the Tour Easy to Navigate

If prospective buyers have difficulty moving through the 3D tour or finding the various rooms and features of the property, they may become frustrated and move on to another listing.

On the other hand, an easy-to-navigate 3D property tour allows buyers to freely explore every nook and cranny of the property, increasing their excitement and interest. So, make sure your 3D property tour is user-friendly and intuitive. It could make all the difference in closing a sale.

5. Stage the Home Properly

Have you ever clicked on a 3D property tour, only to find messy counters, cluttered rooms, and unmade beds? Not only does it give off the wrong impression to potential buyers, but it can also make a space seem smaller and less appealing. 

Not only that, but homebuyers want to see staged homes. This is why it's so important to properly stage your home before creating a 3D property tour. 

This means decluttering, rearranging furniture, and even adding in some tasteful decorations to make each room feel inviting. Buyers want to be able to imagine themselves living in the space, and a cluttered or poorly arranged room can turn them off.

Real Staging vs. Virtual Staging: Which Is Best?

With the rise of 3D tour innovation, realtors now have the option to choose between real staging and virtual staging for virtual home tours. 

While real staging employs physical furniture and decorations in the space, virtual staging uses digital imagery to enhance the appearance of a room or a whole house. So, which one is better? It depends on the situation and the budget. 

Real staging can add a personal touch and make a space feel lived-in, but it can also be expensive and time-consuming to set up. Virtual staging, on the other hand, allows for more personalization as the furniture can be easily changed in a 3D virtual home tour.

Ultimately, we believe in the benefits of virtual staging. It's quick and cost-effective. It also allows you to choose different types of furniture to suit your buyer profile.

blog courtesy of Hommati.com

#hommati #livecentralohio #knowyourrealtor