Virtual Reality 360° tours are big news. Universities, museums, art galleries and even historical houses are getting in on the act, embracing modern technology in a bid to attract and engage a new generation of visitors.
In fact, VR is influencing nearly every industry. And today, this ground-breaking tech is also revolutionising the property market. For example, home buyers no longer have to wait until estate agents are free to take a better look at properties. Instead, they can use VR to experience an immersive, close-up view of a potential new home, without leaving their current one. So sales are not thwarted by geography, conflicting schedules, or the restrictions of the working day.
Providing an experience that can rival a real-life walkthrough, virtual reality lets you zoom in and out on images in an unprecedented level of detail; giving buyers the opportunity to view properties they are interested in without actually being there. And, rather than static images, which often just provide fragments of a room view, immersive property tours help to manage buyer expectations and qualify sales leads. As a result, less time is wasted on viewings that were never going to turn into a sale. Only those ready to buy will visit the home in person. That's a win-win for everyone.
What’s more, virtual reality can also lead to increased sales as the more potential buyers experience the tour, the more they can imagine themselves living in a property and the more emotion they tend to feel towards it. And, as we all know, when it comes to buying a home, being emotionally invested increases the likelihood of a buyer putting in an offer, and a higher one at that.
So, virtual property tours are changing the way buyers are buying, and sellers are selling. But, until recently, the prohibitive cost of investing in this tech meant that only the more prominent players were able to capitalise on the benefits of VR. But that’s no longer the case and outsourcing is making this cutting-edge technology affordable to agents of all sizes.
For example, when working with a partner like Houseviz, the investment has already been made on your behalf. So, you get access to low-cost pricing structures and affordable pricing models. But for agents that want to cut costs even further, DIY virtual tour technology may provide an even better option. Letting agents create extraordinary online experiences in a matter of minutes, this easy to use tech can be put to work without any knowledge of programming or even photography.
Just as compelling, with access to valuable information such as engagement rates, estate agents can provide sellers with accurate reports about who is looking at their properties and refine and adapt their marketing strategies accordingly.
Today's property market requires a modern approach to reach savvy and time-stressed buyers. Tools such as 360-degree virtual tours are now a must if you want to remain competitive and current.