The pandemic has made real estate agents get creative in their marketing techniques and adapt to a new way of doing business. Top-performing agents are taking what they learned in 2020 and applying it to their strategy for the new year. Virtual tours, 360-degree walkthroughs, and interactive floor plans have helped real estate pros close deals during a pandemic, and these innovative tools aren’t going anywhere. 

If you’re using virtual tours to help your clients buy and sell property while still following social distancing guidelines, there are a few things you should do to ensure an effective and professional virtual tour.

Do A Deep Clean
The most important part of a successful virtual tour is making sure the property is clean. This means performing a deep clean and decluttering the property before recording the tour.

Organize and Focus On Continuity
The whole point of a virtual tour is to mirror what it would be like to actually walk through the home. This is why focus and continuity are so important. A virtual tour that jumps around or feels disorganized will make it difficult for buyers to truly experience the property. A virtual tour should start at the front door and walk the viewer through each room. Avoid backtracking through the home, and focus on following the layout of the home. You want this to be a seamless experience where the viewer walks away with a clear understanding of how each room blends into the next. 

Another way to focus on continuity is to make sure that each shot is consistent with the one before it. If there is one shot of the living room with a particular piece of furniture and then another shot without the same piece, it could be confusing. As you create the tour, avoid changing even small details. 

Use the Right Lighting
If people were going to tour your home in person you’d make sure that the entire space felt open and bright. You’ll want to do the same thing for your virtual tours. Open up the windows, turn on the lights, and use camera modes that allow you to modify the brightness of your videos. Dark photos and video make it hard for buyers to distinguish the qualities of a room and can leave them with more questions than answers. As you put together and edit your virtual tour, make sure each room looks well-lit.

Use Professional Equipment
Virtual tours have become such a vital tool for real estate professionals that you can find virtual tour equipment and software for almost every budget. Some of the equipment you’ll need to create a high-quality tour include:

  • Tripod 
  • DSLR camera 
  • Fisheye lens
  • Panoramic tripod head 
  • Virtual tour creation platform 

There are also plenty of companies that specialize in creating 3D tours and virtual walkthroughs. If you don’t have the time, ability, or resources to create a high-quality tour, hire a professional to do it for you. 

Make it a Combo
A virtual tour is a great tool to enhance your marketing strategy, but it shouldn’t be your only tool. Combine this innovative marketing technique with professional quality photos, and engaging listing description, and an interactive floor plan. The more info you can give your buyers, the easier it will be for them to make a confident and informed decision. 

2020 was a year of clarity for many, and in 2021 many real estate agents are using what they learned last year to be better in 2021. Along with learning to craft the perfect virtual tour, many agents are investing in continued education and taking classes to expand their reach and increase sales in the new year. Mbition has real estate, appraisal, and home inspection courses to help you have the best year yet.