Real estate has changed a lot over the last 20 years and the acceleration of the change is getting more rapid.  If you’re a real estate agent you’ve probably have heard of a little thing called a Matterport camera. If not, Matterport is a company founded in 2011 and develops technology for creating virtual models of real spaces with a special camera. This camera has had a very large impact on the real estate world in just a the past few years and it’s just getting started. If you’re a real estate agent still on the fence about whether or not you just take the plunge and use it as a tool to aid in sales I have a short list of 5 things you should consider.

 

1. 24/7 Open House

The biggest perk of having a virtual tour is the time you’ll save. Open houses are very common in the real estate business. It gives potential buyers a chance to step in and see the home for themselves. But there are inconveniences that come with hosting an open house. For a open house to be successful you need the home owners, the agent, and a buyer (preferably several) to take time out of their weekend to clean, schedule and most importantly, show up. With a virtual tour everyone gets their weekend back and buyers can get inside without needing to travel.

 

2. Filter out Window Shoppers

When you work in sales you rely on commissions and commissions only happen when a sale happens. Every sales person deals with curious shoppers and real estate is no different. Having a virtual tour will allow you to have a presentation ready that can be shared and viewed with their laptop, smartphone or tablet. They can gauge whether or not they are in fact serious. Having a virtual may not completely eliminate the need or desire for the buyer to want to see it in person but at least you’ll be more confident. Meeting with them on site after they see the virtual tour may even be a good time to talk further about what they like about the house.

 

3. Eliminate Headaches

Mom makes it to the front door with you but dad got sidetracked and wanders into the garage while grandpa wanders into the back yard. You open the front door and the two kids run in straight up stairs yelling “This is my room!”. Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic but the point is every once in awhile you get the group that has a hard time staying on track. With a virtual tour you can give the tour right from your office computer and everyone stays together. Or you can send them the tour to view on their own time.

 

4. Open the Door for Effective Mass Marketing

Have you ever looked at a beautiful home that was on the market for a long time and wondered why nobody has moved in? Often times in this scenario the asking price is blamed. But this may not be entirely justified. In the past the agent’s ability to market a property has been limited. Virtual tours allow a real estate agent to effectively market a property.  Remember that 24/7 open house perk mentioned earlier? Now combined that with the ability to share that tour with 500, 1000, or even 10,000 people. Do you think that one of those people would be interested in the property you have at the price you’re asking?

 

5. Don’t Just Show, Experience.

For a while now realtors have been using photos to show people the property they have for sale. With virtual tours your buyer can now experience the space. Photos offer a very limited understanding to what a property has to offer