During COVID-19, virtual tours exploded in popularity for real estate listings. As a real estate agent, you probably had to adjust quickly and start using virtual tours, if you weren’t already using them.
We are in a different place now. You might be wondering if virtual tours are still popular, post-pandemic. Let’s look at this question a bit closer to figure out the answer.
Are Virtual Tours the New Real Estate Listing Normal?
Yes, you will likely be including a virtual tour with every real estate listing from here on out. However, this might not be for the reasons you think. During COVID-19, virtual tours became a regular thing due to health concerns. Open houses were held differently or they may not have been held at all.
While virtual tours were proven helpful when there were health concerns, they also provide benefits buyers like. A high percentage of buyers look online first. If they can take a virtual tour of the property, they can get a better idea if it’s for them or not.
Virtual tours are the new normal for real estate listings. They will be necessary, not to stand out, but to keep up with other home listings, now.
Top 4 Benefits Of Virtual Tours
1. Better Screen Buyers Before Showings
You, as a real estate agent, gain a very significant benefit from using virtual tours. When you use virtual tours with your listing, you won’t get as many requests from lukewarm buyers. The requests you get will come from serious buyers that have already seen the property online.
You can even ask those that want a showing to use the virtual tour first. This can help to weed out those that are not serious about the property or that is not a great fit for the property.
By better screening buyers before showings, you can save time. Instead of showing the property a dozen times and weeding through the serious and lukewarm potential home buyers, you can save some of that time with virtual tours.
2. Help Attract a Larger Buying Audience
When you use virtual tours, you can attract home buyers from out-of-state or even from another country. Some buyers cannot just fly in to see the property in person. They have to trust a real estate agent to relay information about a home they might be interested in buying.
Many people relocate every year to different areas and need to find a home to buy. With virtual tours, you can attract the people looking to relocate. They will be able to see the property in a better way through a virtual tour.
Imagine if you were sitting in another state and you had two months to find a home and relocate for your job. Would you prefer home listings with virtual tours? Of course, you would!
3. Help Buyers During Bidding Wars
With so many homes for sale in Dallas and other areas of Texas getting multiple offers, buyers can benefit from virtual tours, too. When a buyer can take a virtual tour in a matter of minutes, immediately, they might submit an offer before even taking a tour of the property in person.
Using virtual tours within your home listing can help buyers make a quick decision. It allows the buyer to say yes or no to a property fast and, if it’s a yes, they can submit an offer quickly.
Whenever it’s a strong seller’s market, this can become a huge benefit for buyers. It can also benefit the sellers as they can get more offers, fast.
4. Benefits the Millennial Buyer
Many millennial home buyers want to use the virtual home-buying experience to find the home for them. They love virtual tours because they provide fast access, through technology. It just makes sense that millennials and future generations of home buyers will use virtual tours to help with the buying experience.
How to Use Virtual Tours in Your Home Listings, as an Agents
There are many ways you can make sure you provide access to a virtual tour with every home listing. If you want to stay competitive, widen your buying audience, and get more offers for your clients, you need to know how to use virtual tours.
The first thing you want to do is make sure you work with a broker that offers the right tools. While you can get the tools on your own, it’s easier if you choose a broker with the right tools.
At Elite Agents, we offer Agent Sponsorship, which offers virtual tours you can save to YouTube and use in your listings. We provide all the best technology for marketing and creating listings. You won’t need any other tools when you work with us.
Having the right tools to create your virtual tours is just the start. Let’s look at a few other things you need to do when using virtual tours in your real estate listings.
Prepare the Home Properly
Before you shoot the video for the virtual tour, make sure you prepare the home properly. Have it staged, if this is a part of the listing, get rid of clutter, have the home cleaned, and take care of any cosmetic repairs, including painting. You want the home to look its’ best before creating the virtual tour.
Shine a Light on the Best the Home Offers
You want to provide a thorough virtual tour, but you also want to shine a light on the best the home has to offer. Spend time showing off the beautiful countertops, the original hardwood floors, the massive storage space, and more.
The features that buyers are looking for are what you want to highlight. Of course, you want to show off the entire home, but spend more time on the best the home has to offer.
Honesty and Transparency are Necessary
Whenever you use a virtual tour for a home listing, be honest and transparent. You want to show off the best the home has to offer, but also show off the entire home. Also, don’t use video or photography tricks to make the home look smaller or larger than it is.
Always disclose building materials, ceiling heights, and other necessary information. This information will help buyers make a better decision for them and it will help you gain trust with them.
Provide Availability for In-Person Showings
Even though you will have a virtual tour with every listing, you want to make sure you’re available for in-person showings. Many buyers may still want to see the home in person, to make sure it matches with what they are seeing in the virtual tour. Make sure you have availability for in-person showings, along with the virtual tour.
Virtual Tours are Popular, but In-Person Tours are Still Necessary
While virtual tours are not going away, in-person tours are still important. Many buyers will use the virtual tours within listings to narrow their list down. However, when they get down to their top few listings, they will want to see them in person, when possible.
Make sure you are using virtual tours with every listing. This will benefit you as a real estate agent, along with both the buyer and the seller. Of course, you will also need to make sure you are still providing in-person showings to help out buyers and sellers.
