7 reasons you should have a 3D virtual tour in your property listing

Technology in real estate is constantly evolving and growing. This is especially true thanks to Covid. With many traditional methods of real estate thrown out the door, innovations, that once were at the fringe of the industry, came to the forefront. The best part about the adoption of these new technologies was that they worked extremely well. Engagement and excitement around property has never been higher.

For those with investment properties, these new technologies have enabled reduced times before a tenant can move in, with virtual signatures, easier connection with property managers, with great apps like property me, plus more. Now there are other technologies coming onto the scene that will change the way we inspect and view properties. Introducing 3D virtual tours.

What is a 3D virtual tour?

A staple of the luxury property market for a number of years, 3D tours is a technology that has had a lot of money and development pumped into it. Now it is affordable enough and refined enough for mainstream use. This has slowly seen it trickle down into more property listings, giving those a competitive edge.

To create a 3D tour, a 3D camera is used in the property, capturing a full 360 view wherever it goes. The cameraperson walks through your property, going into each room, and outdoor space, to provide a full walkthrough of your property. The final video is then stitched together and uploaded to your listing.

Once on the listing, your potential tenant will be able to click through the property at their own speed similar to Google Maps Street View. They click little arrows on the screen to move around the property. This will give them a full virtual tour of the property as if they were there visiting in person.

Why you should have a virtual tour in your listing

1. Saves time for prospective tenants and agents

A virtual tour offers a filter to reduce wasted time from prospective tenants. It happens often where a tenant rocks up for an inspection, taking time away from the property manager, the property owner, and themselves. But when they arrive and see a bit of the property, the prospective tenant is turned off by something in the property. Often that one thing could have been made obvious through a virtual tour.

By adding in a virtual tour, you can cut down on time-wasting for all involved. Prospective tenants will be able to get a more accurate impression of the property online. So, only those who like what they saw online will come to a physical inspection.

2. Allows tenants to take their time viewing the home

For some perspective tenants, the 5-10 minutes they may feel they get in an inspection isn’t enough to decide that they want to sign on the dotted line. You want great tenants to fall in love with the property and move in. With a virtual tour, you can give them this time.

In a virtual tour, there is less pressure, so anxiety surrounding the experience is reduced. There is no one looking over their shoulder as they visit the kitchen for the third time. Through a virtual tour, they can view the property at their own pace. They can also send any questions to the property manager during or afterwards.

3. Have an open home 24/7

You can have potential tenants come through your home at any time, on any day, all without having the clean-up, or scheduling problems. The virtual tour allows the property to be viewed by tenants at any time from anywhere. No need to prepare for as many open homes or inspections.

4. Reduces the stress around staging the home

If you have existing tenants in the property there is far less stress involved when it comes to staging the property to appear in the best light. You can just record a virtual tour when the property is in its best condition and have that online for all prospective tenants to view. This will provide less need to maintain the house in pristine conditions for frequent showings. Instead, there will likely be fewer showings, dramatically reducing stress on the tenants and property owners.

5. Increase online engagement

3D tours are great for your listing’s engagement rate. They offer a reason for prospective tenants to dig deeper into the listing, interact with it more, and come back multiple times. While viewing the property in the virtual tour, prospective tenants can send comments and questions about the property to the property manager. These comments can be responded to in real-time if you would like. Or, if the prospective tenant sends them in during a 1am viewing, you can answer the next day.

6. 3D tours bring proven results

The results for 3D virtual tours have been phenomenal. Studies are showing great growth in leads (4x more) and a massive increase in qualified leads (49% more), and it doesn’t stop there. On top of that listings that feature a 3D tour get on average 40% more clicks, 90% more phone inquiries, and 65% more email inquiries. This is huge if you are looking to improve the results you get from your listing.

If you are targeting a younger tenant for your property a 3D virtual tour is the way to go. Younger people are 130% more likely to book an inspection if they have seen a virtual tour first.

7. A solution for social distancing requirements

If a lockdown is happening, or other restrictions are blocking you from having enough inspections, you need a 3D virtual tour. It is the best way to showcase the home to prospective tenants without breaching any guidelines, ensuring everyone stays safe. While pictures are great, they can only go so far. A virtual tour is almost the perfect substitute for physical inspections, offering potential tenants the ability to explore every part of the property.

8. Attract higher quality tenants

Due to the relationship with luxury housing purchases, 3D virtual tours have a feeling of luxury and quality associated with them. This sense of care and luxury service will attract higher quality tenants, impressing them before they have even set a foot through the door.

3D virtual tours also provide a higher number of clicks, as stated earlier, when they are featured in your listing. This provides a higher chance for a larger number of potentially great tenants to see and click on your listing. It is always better to have the first pick amongst a group of good tenants.

Conclusion

3D virtual tours are a powerful tool that allows you to showcase your property to more prospective tenants. It is a huge time saver, cutting out many who weren’t going to sign, and increases the potential results you can get from your listing. If you are looking to improve your listing and get better results from your rental property, come and have a conversation with Link Living.