How to Stage a Great Virtual Home Showing

With the current state of the world, virtual home tours are increasing in popularity due to CDC social distancing recommendations. Selling and showing a home virtually is a great tool to use while the world is limiting face to face contact, and be more personal than what many expect when utilizing the right tools. Some benefits from virtually showing a home other than limiting the spread of COVID-19 are:

• Increased Exposure: Using a virtual tour allows the potential to reuse footage for multiple interested buyers, or use for marketing on social platforms.
• Minimize the Number of Showings: Many home buyers will likely forego scheduling an appointment for a virtual showing if they are not a serious buyer (eliminating nosy neighbor curiosity).

Some tips for offering a great virtual home tour include:

Host a Real Walkthrough

3-D renderings and floorpans are great tools for building a new home. However, new home buyers prefer to see the real space and it helps them better envision moving in. Touring a home virtually can be done a few different ways:

• Real-Time: Through applications like Apple's FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Zoom, or other video chatting apps, this can be a very personal way to show a home that is also open for your potential buyers to ask questions. You can find guides on how to use these applications here.
• Video/iMovie Software: Recording, editing and sending is another option to virtually show a home. This can be done through applications like apple iMovie, Adobe Premiere Rush, or GoPro. When using this option, ensure you are still available for your clients to ask any questions about the home.
• Hire a Real Estate Videographer: Looking for something more formal? Hiring a videographer will ensure your end product is clean and professional.

Stage the Home

Although your client won't be seeing the home in person, making sure it is aesthetically pleasing and presentable will still draw a potential buyer in digitally.

• Cleaning Is Key: Ensure the home is clean, decluttered and presentable as you would with an in-person showing. Confirm the home owners will not be there, as you would with an in-person showing.
• Highlight Great Features: Make sure you are highlighting key sellable features in your video presentation of the home. That great breakfast nook may not register as much via video, so make sure to call it out. Show off the neighborhood if it's as selling point.
• Keep Things Well Lit: A home will naturally look a little darker via video. Make sure you maximize lighting and windows for the home so it registers as a more open and inviting space.
• Take Photos: In case your client wants to reference back to anything in the home.

Make Sure You're Delivering Quality Content

A well-produced home tour will speak for itself. Make sure you are thinking of all the small things like:

• Cleaning Your Camera Lens: Make sure your client is getting a clean view of the space by wiping your camera lens with a micro-fiber cloth.
• Confirm Your Wifi Connection: Connect to the wifi prior to your virtual tour to ensure video quality is top-notch and that your connection is strong.
• Back Up Your Content: If you are choosing to shoot and send, ensure you back up your video footage via flash drive or a cloud system.

To view the original article, visit the MoveEasy blog.