With Open Houses rendered impossible due to COVID-19 restrictions, virtual home touring has become an attractive alternative for both buyers and sellers, so it is no wonder that they are increasing dramatically.
For sellers, the baseline is photos of a tidied-up exterior and de-cluttered interior, which can be posted online. Often this is enough for potential buyers to narrow their search. Sellers need to carefully evaluate the high cost of glamor videos of their home, which can attract buyers, but definitely add to the marketing costs.
Virtual tours give buyers an opportunity to quickly narrow choices without leaving the comfort and safety of their home.
There are essentially two types of tours. Canned pre-recorded tours don’t always tell the whole story. Producers can stage the tour to overlook less desirable features and use techniques like fish-eye lenses to make spaces appear larger. Just like e-commerce or online dating, what you see is not always what you get.
When I work with potential buyers who cannot visit the property in person, I take my phone or Ipad to the property. I show the neighborhood, the front door, the public and hidden places, and the views from the windows. I make sure to highlight any outdoor places and look at many places the canned tours omit. I can turn on the showers and faucets or flush the toilets or give you a close-up of the flooring and utilities. If you have a question I can “show and tell.”
Contact me if you would like a personal virtual tour of a property you are interested in.
