5 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Virtual Tours to Sell Houses

Virtual tours will help you sell more houses faster. That sounds like a bold claim, but the numbers don’t lie. First of all, 84%of home buyers use the internet to search for a new home. 83% of online home buyers want visuals of some kind. The kicker though: 54% of buyers will not look at a property unless it has a virtual tour, and listings with virtual tours get 87% more views. Wow. If you’re a real estate agent and you’re not using virtual tours in your listings, then you’re missing out on a lot of potential home sales.

It’s a proven fact, virtual tours help sell more houses, and faster. As a real estate agent, your next step is to understand what’s going on to give such amazing results. So, let’s dig in to why virtual tours are so effective. Here are five reasons you should be using virtual tours to sell houses.

1. You’ll provide more – and better – detail to home shoppers

Nowadays, many home buyers are looking for new home in a place that is not local or near where they live right now. A foreign home shopper, for instance, can browse properties online and find something they like, but may not have the chance to come see the property in person beforehand. Detailed photos of a property can only show so much to a viewer, and they lack they “feel” that many home buyers want to experience to make their buying decision. This is the reason open houses and house showings are necessary. A virtual tour solves these issues. It’s like having an “always open house”. Viewers can “walkthrough” a property and get a great feel for it, while getting a great look at all the nooks and crannies that pictures miss out on.

2. You’ll save time

The home buying process is traditionally a long process. Just getting to a house showing can take some time. A home buyer will decide they want to take a closer look at a house, schedule an open house with the real estate agent, block out their schedule, get dressed up, drive to the house, spend some time walking through it and discussing it, and then maybe decide to make an offer…or not. This process is then repeated until the home buyers are happy. And remember, that’s just to get to the point of making an offer. With virtual tours, home buyers can walk through the house virtually and make much more informed decisions about the house. By the time they contact a real estate agent, the chances of them choosing the house are much higher. It will save precious time for both the real estate agent and the home buyer.

3. Buyers can view houses more comfortably, and at their own pace

Virtual tours let people walk through and view a house for as long as they like. They can spend time viewing certain areas and get a better perspective on certain views and layouts. Best of all, they can do this in their pajamas, from the comfort of their living room. As mentioned before, showing a house can be a tedious process for both the home buyer and the real estate agent. With virtual tours you can “show a home” at any time. You don’t have to worry about rescheduling, weather issues, or a number of other factors that come into play. Buyers can also linger in the home virtually and not deal with the sometimes uncomfortable feeling of seeing the current owner’s personal belongings. They can go back and look at a room again, or “walk through” the house again whenever they like.

4. It’s easy to use

Although it is an advanced feature, virtual tour technology is surprisingly easy to use. Once set up, home buyers can simply click an icon and walk into the home virtually. They can click into a room and they will move into it. Then they can turn 360° to get an all around view in any room. You can also take a step outside and view the yard and surrounding areas and viewpoint with just a click.

5. You’ll stand out from your competitors

Real estate is a flooded market in terms of the workforce. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of opportunity to succeed. You just need to stand out. Real estate agents have to constantly be moving forward and adapting what’s working, while leaving behind ineffective methods. This means embracing new technology and catering to what home buyers really want. Virtual tours are a competitive edge that will save you time, money, and stress, while doing the same thing for your clients. It will also set you apart from the crowd, growing your reputation as a leader in your market.