Virtual Tours

The term virtual tour applies to either a video presentation or a series of digital pictures “stitched” together to create a 360 degree panoramic view of the living space of a home.

At a time when consumers are demanding more information, more pictures, and a greater ease of access, virtual tours are the fastest-growing innovation in real estate marketing. Studies of online home shoppers show that homes accompanied by virtual tours receive more hits, higher page views, and longer view times per page than homes featured in only a few grainy pictures.

Virtual tours help your property get noticed. Be sure that your listing is ready to show and that it competes well in its competitive environment before posting a virtual tour or the tour can backfire on you and drive interest away. If your listing pales in comparison to competitive offerings, you won’t get anyone into the home.

Producing a virtual tour

You can piece together provided photos for practically nothing, but to produce a true virtual tour with a 360-degree visual presentation, you’ll need to spend some money on the right equipment.

After the virtual tour is completed, put it to work. Feature it online, show it in your presentations, use it when working with out-of-area buyers, and include it in the portfolio you use to present yourself to prospects and sellers.

Important questions to ask

Some agents are quick to spend money, even if they don’t have a plan or set of objectives in place. Along the same lines, if not approached properly, virtual tours can cause agents to spend a lot of money, without much return, for each of their listings. Each time you produce a tour, begin by answering these questions

• What is your objective for the tour? Will you use it to generate leads, close appointments, build your image as a real estate agent, or for some other purpose?
• Who is your target audience? Will the tour be shown primarily to low- end, mid-range, or high-end home buyers? The answer will help you match the presentation to audience expectations, and will help you arrive at your budget as well.
• What type of tour do you want to produce? Choose either 360-degree video or digital photos.
• How much time and effort can you and your staff invest in producing and maintaining the tour? Be aware that to produce your own 360-degree video tours, you’ll need at least one in-house camera expert and one person to upload, create, and maintain the tours.
• Will you hire a professional company? If so, be prepared to interview firms and compare resources based on company costs, the caliber of solutions the company provides, the way its services match your needs and expectations, and how easy the employees are to work with.

Mistakes to avoid

The biggest mistake you can make is to try to create virtual tours on the cheap. If you attempt to create your own virtual tours, chances are good that they, and by association you, will look cheap. They’ll look cheap to potential buyers, potential sellers, and potential leads and prospects that will see your work online from around the world.

The quality of the production will be interpreted as an indication of the quality of your character and your service. Aim high.