Tips for Creating an Appealing Virtual Property Tour

Virtual real estate tours can make or break a sale. The typical real estate agent is discovering another hat they need to wear in order to make use of this amazing resource. Basically, they have to think like a filmmaker. 

A director looks through the lens and visualizes the point of view of the audience. This is the same methodology when recording a video house tour. The average home buyer spends about 10 seconds before deciding whether to consider watching a virtual tour, so it’s vital to grab their attention immediately. Start the tour in an attractive spot. In addition, it’s important to remember that most people have seen numerous videos by the time they get to you and have already made a list of things they don’t like. One problem with online advertising is that sometimes things aren’t as they appear in real life. For this reason, authenticity is the most important characteristic of a video tour. It proves that the home they are seeing is actually the home being described online. They want to see an uncut, unedited view of the home and surrounding property.

Anyone who has ever felt queasy from watching a camera pan around a room too quickly can attest to this. The idea is to put yourself in the shoes of a prospective buyer walking through the property. Take time to look around, but in a natural, organic way. The duration of how long each shot lingers as well, especially if walking upstairs or down hallways. 

The lighting is crucial as well. If the purpose of your video tour is to highlight every aspect of a property that is for sale, then people need to be able to see it. Other prep work should include opening curtains and closing toilet lids, as well as staging elements to make the home more relatable, such as bowls of fruit in the kitchen. Natural sunlight is great, but it’s important to stay away from pointing the lens directly at a window, which will just darken the interior of the room completely. One exception to this rule is showing the outdoor aesthetics as part of the tour itself. 

The voiceover techniques are important as well. An experienced realtor will know the most common questions about a potential sale, so a narrative about the home’s features will help potential buyers focus on the tour itself instead of being distracted by lingering questions.