For home sellers in the era of covid-19, showing off your home to potential buyers may seem like an impossible task. As people practice social distancing to help stop the spread of the virus, most open houses are on hold, and in-person home showings are limited across the country.
Not so fast! There are still ways to reach potential buyers and show your home in the best light—through virtual tours. A “virtual home tour” can be a vague descriptor for many different things.
Many call video walkthroughs of homes “virtual tours,” for instance. While a great listing video can complement photos and really drive interest, it is definitely not the same thing as a virtual tour. A proper virtual tour is interactive, allowing the prospective buyer to view the home at their own pace and according to what draws their particular interest. Since a video railroads them down a particular path and only highlights select images of the property, it does not suffice.
Other people describe a navigable 3D model of a home as a virtual tour. In the real estate industry, 3D approximations work far better for properties not built yet. By taking a real home and changing it into a 3D video-game style simulation, you compromise the actual sights and experiences of walking through the home.
So what would I call a “real” virtual tour? Here are a few criteria I think a virtual home tour should satisfy, at minimum:
- 3D exploration of the home space under the full control of the viewer
- Uses actual footage of the home, not a digital recreation
- Options to explore any room at any time, backtrack, or linger at their discretion
- Easily accessible to the lay person through a web browser or mobile device
- Abides by a high standard of quality, including both technical aspects like load speed and aesthetic aspects like clear lighting or great image resolution
- Compatible with common smart phone models that provide millions with their primary point of internet access
- Intuitive to control with minimal frustration or friction
- Positioned in a way to complement the home’s natural features as well as other real estate marketing collateral
- Duplicates the experience of visiting a home in person
Not only have I continued to show homes physically to clients (while taking necessary precautions to insure the health and safety of both buyer and seller), but most recently, I’ve helped clients purchase a home via real time video. I was their guide while they were in the comfort of their own home. The Calgary real estate market continues to move forward and I continue to adapt appropriately for my clients and to assure they have what they need to properly sell or buy. If you have questions, I’m here to help.