5 essential tips for a positive virtual home tour experience

According to David Choi, chief commercial officer at Propic, “modern buyers and tenants are digitally literate, time poor, and eco-conscious so virtual inspections better meet their needs”.

Given the inevitable change in buyer and tenant behaviour described by Mr Choi, the property industry appears to be preparing for a fully digital future, with buying, selling, and renting all taking place online.

How can you be on top of the virtual home tour game so you can give buyers and tenants a positive experience?

Here are Propic’s five essential tips for a professional virtual home inspection:

1. Video tour

Showcase essential selling points of a property by taking the buyer on a virtual tour of each room, pointing out specific features such as room size and ceiling height as you go.

Open up windows, closets, cabinets, zoom in special nooks, appliances, electric outlets, and other details that may easily be overlooked but will make the property stand out from others.

Remember to follow the flow of the home’s floor plan during the video shoot and editing for a seamless experience for the viewer.

2. 3D walkthrough

Propic suggested the use of virtual reality tools that employ machine learning to analyse and compare images so that buyers can have “a sense for the flow of the home”.

3D walkthroughs use photos that allow visitors to see all sides of a space with a 360-degree view and give the freedom to move from one room to another with just one click. Visitors can glance up, down, and all-around a home’s indoor and outdoor images. To do this, there are digital tools available online that can stitch photographs together to produce a virtual 3D model of a house.

Propic also suggested the use of this method for mid-lease inspections as part of the routine maintenance check-up of a rental property’s interior and exterior spaces.

3. Drone footage

Another tip mentioned by Propic is the use of drone videos to provide buyers with good visuals of the home in its true scale. Drone footage allows potential buyers to observe the outside of a home as well as the surrounding neighbourhood more easily. It can also help showcase stunning views if the property is located in a prime area.

On a practical side, drones can hover over a property to offer you a bird’s-eye view of the entire roof that enables buyers to spot potentially problematic areas that may cause the roof to leak.

4. Artist impressions of potential renovations

For homes that may need renovation, Propic mentioned using artist impressions of potential renovations, such as adding a breakfast nook, a pergola or a lanai, to depict how the space will look once completed. Artist impressions can serve as realistic representations of floor plans and interiors to help buyers make a more confident purchase.

5. Virtual staging

An important point mentioned by Propic when it comes to virtual home tours is that there’s no need to reorganise belongings or spend money on new or rented furniture to make a great first impression.

With virtual staging, you can furnish and decorate vacant space with high-resolution, photo-realistic virtual furnishings and decor, allowing you to showcase the best features of a house. Even an empty or partially furnished property can be transformed into an ideal future home.

Virtual tours can be an effective tool for assisting buyers in their property search, as well as sellers in creatively marketing their listings.

Moreover, those who are able to adapt to a quickly changing digital landscape can help buyers and renters find their next home without the hassle of in-person tours and assist sellers in optimising reach for potential buyers so they can receive the best price for their property.

Virtual staging is the low-cost, high-impact solution for those who don’t have a big budget but want to make properties come to life.