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Virtual Tours for Real Estate: Why They’re So Popular? (and the Most Common Types)
A lot of people have connected the term virtual tour with the real estate industry, as it’s the only industry where virtual experiences are used. However, it makes sense because people see real estate virtual tours the most often compared to other use cases.
So, today we will talk about why virtual tours work in the real estate industry and what types of virtual tours you can get as part of the real estate marketing.
Read this article before: What is a virtual tour? If you didn’t know, now you do.
Why Virtual Tours Are So Popular in Real Estate
1. Virtual tour builds instant trust
Classic photos can look great, sometimes too great if you know what I mean (aka using too wide lens so that the space looks twice the size or using only angle from which the space looks nice).
Compared to virtual tour which transparently give the visitor the freedom to explore the space as it is. They can walk-though rooms freely and explore every detail in a 360° view.
2. Virtual tour saves time for both agents and buyers
Instead of scheduling multiple physical tours, buyers can tour several properties online in minutes. Agents, meanwhile, spend less time on unqualified leads and more time on serious clients who’ve already “seen” the property virtually.
3. Interactive content increases engagement and visibility
Listings with 360° content, such as virtual tours, get more attention and more clicks compared to listing only with text and few photos.
4. Provide more information than 1000 words (24/7 working agent)
Real estate agent doesn’t need to answer millions of questions about the property before. Just provide a link with a virtual tour which can explain all the detail and information better than numerous emails or calls.
The Most Common Types of Real Estate Virtual Tours
1. 360° Photo Tours (360°degree virtual tours)
This is the most popular and affordable option.
Using 360° photography (or virtual tour photography if you wish), can real estate agent or marketing specialist to showcase the property in an interactive walkthrough. Viewers can click their way through rooms, rotate their view, and zoom in on details.
PRO TIP: Suitable for high-end listing and luxury development projects as part of the real estate marketing campaign.
2. 3D scan virtual Tours (Matterport-Style)
This type uses depth sensors or LiDAR to create a full 3D scan of the property. Users can view the home from a “dollhouse” perspective or jump inside for an immersive room-by-room experience. Name dollhouse come from software called Matterport which is famous for real estate virtual tour and was built for this specific use case.
PRO TIP: Matterport are nice for measuring the property and showcasing it fast in short period of time. Not great for big commercial properties
4. 3D rendering Virtual Tours
This is more expensive but interesting way how to showcase a development project which does not exist yet. You can create a 3D model of a real estate property and create a virtual tour from it.
This way a potential buyer can explore how their new apartment will look like in couple of months or years when its finished. This way let buyers visualize better the project and built trust when buying something what does not exist yet.
PRO TIP: It is a beneficial strategy to attract international buyers and showcase your development project as something interesting and luxury. Also, you can showcase the virtual tour not only on a your website, but also on a tablet or VR devices on conferences or fairs.
Recommendation from professional about creating a virtual tour for your real estate project.
If you are operating a property which tend to sell or rent quickly, use a Matterport or lookalike technology which give you easy to create virtual tour which can be uploaded the same day so that your clients can see it as soon as possible.
If you are selling a luxury property, create a custom design 360° virtual tour which showcase the space with a branding of the development project, because if this is the first impression the investor has with the project, it needs to be special. It can be done with 360° photography or 3D rendering it really depend on if the property already exists or not.
International projects tend to have better results with virtual tours however need to be multilingual virtual tours.
Matterport virtual tours are great for showcasing a space fast, however you need to pay a subscription fee for hosting the virtual tour, which can be a lot if it takes your company to rent or sell a long time. Plus, it costs according to m2 not photos, so big commercial spaces tend not to be the cheaper choice to use Matterport lookalike technology.
Also, if you are willing to invest in a virtual tour, think about other channels how you can reuse the created content. Don’t just put the virtual tour on the website, try to use it on social media planforms, offline on conferences (tablet or VR use), partners website etc.
At the end of the day, it is an investment which you help your company to sell or rent the property faster and with bigger profit. So, create the virtual tour which help you do that.
