360 Tours For Real Estate
Nowadays, there is an endless listing of properties that people can easily access online. Even homeowners can put their homes up for sale or rent on various websites themselves, without the need for a real estate agent. The surge in demand for homes also means greater competition among realtors.
This calls for a new approach to promote properties to keep realtors ahead of the competition. Lucky for you, there are several modern technological tools available to give you that extra edge. Most notably, 360 tours for real estate.
What is a 360 tour?
360 tours allow potential clients to navigate every corner of a property while sitting in front of their monitor. Unlike photos and videos, this method offers a more accurate, interactive, and immersive experience. Not only are users able to look around the property as if they were at a live showing, but they are also able to view the entire floor plan, select which room to view from an easy to understand map, and much more.
The idea is similar to Google Street view. Users get to check out an entire area and control the view from various angles — 360 degrees to be exact.
For the first time in history, property seekers would rather take a 360 virtual tour before conducting an in-person walkthrough of a home. This growing trend is partly due to the pandemic, yet largely due to Millenials and Generation Z entering the housing market. These generations expect virtual options for nearly everything, including home buying. It is an excellent way to showcase your listing. Clients will be excited to explore and admire the true beauty of the unit.
Virtual tours are an excellent way to showcase your listing, and with the popularity of 360 tours steadily increasing, becoming familiar with the technology is all the more important for your business.
How is a 360 tour made?
A full 360 tour is captured by numerous panoramic shots, which are edited and seamlessly stitched together into a single piece. It is usually made up of 30 to 40 360-degree views to depict a real-life walkthrough.
Top 10 reasons to use 360 tours
There are many benefits to adding 360 tours to your listings. Your clients can get a more accurate feel of the property before scheduling a showing, rather than basing their impression on still images, then arriving in person to find that the house isn’t a good fit for them. This can save a lot of time and effort rather than arranging physical showings for incompatible clients.
A 360 tour can also elevate your digital marketing plan. Did you know that real estate listings with a 360 tour get 87% more views? This is just a sneak peek of its benefits; let’s explore the perks of this ultra-advanced technology.
1. Save time for serious clients
Are you tired of receiving phone calls and emails from potential clients, only for them to have zero real intention to buy the property? Answering and arranging showings for all these people can be time-consuming, and all of it is wasted time.
With a 360 tour, clients can simply view the property on their mobile devices or computers. Given the fact that 50% of purchasers rely on 360 tours in their decision-making process, those who are actually interested will call and ask you for more information directly. It sorts the wheat from the chaff. This will free up your time, and you'll be able to prioritize more crucial aspects of your job.
2. Limit unnecessary expenses
As a realtor, you’re always on the go to meet potential clients and show them properties. Travelling back and forth is not cheap. The worst part is there is no certainty that your efforts will pay off. For example, clients might realize that the ceiling is too short or the hallway is too tight.
A 360 tour prevents all these problems. 360 tours reduce wasted viewings by a whopping 40%. All you have to do is upload the tours on your website and wait for high-intent buyers to contact you. Just think about how much money you'll save on gas, and hours waiting on the driveway for arrivals!
3. Drive more traffic to your website
Property listings with 360 tours often receive more clicks compared to those using still-images only. People are just more inclined and curious to make use of this cutting-edge technology. As a result, more clicks amount to higher web traffic and generating greater sales. Additionally, your real estate website will rank better in search results, thanks to the increased traffic — one listing helps boost your whole site.
4. Reduce your website's bounce rate
A bounce rate represents the number of visitors who leave a website on a single page session. This means they did not interact with your interface at all.
360 tours are the best way to counter this issue. This is because customers spend 5 to 10 times more on websites with 360 tours. They get to engage with the tour for a longer period of time. Most tours take at least one minute to complete which boosts your SEO. By clicking on your 360 tour, your website’s bounce rate will decrease. A lower bounce rate also translates to better search engine rankings.
5. Gain exposure on social media
360-degree photos receive 45% more engagement on social media than conventional photos. Who wouldn’t agree that 360 tours are eye-catching more fun to interact with? They are the recipe to achieve virality as users can share it on their social channels and forward it to their friends and family, doing the marketing for you.
It is also essential to note that search engines rely on social media as a ranking factor. If your website content goes viral on social networks, your website will establish greater authority on search engines. In return, you'll get even more traffic.
6. Maintain quality backlinks
Since 360 tours are so resourceful and simple to navigate, they’re highly sharable. Every time someone shares your 360 tours online, your website receives a backlink. Quality backlinks are a major SEO ranking component. The more backlinks you get, the more people will visit your website. Not only does this increase traffic, but it also helps you maintain a credible online presence.
7. Stand out from the competition
Interestingly, 54% of buyers will not look at a property unless it’s supported by a 360 tour. By including one, you give prospective clients that “WOW” factor. They will be more interested in viewing your listing in comparison to the boring 2D photos that your competitors provide.
On top of that, because 360 tours are so intuitive and advanced, customers are more willing to trust you. This ultimately gives you a competitive edge.
8. Convenience for all
Scheduling a showing can be a hassle. Particularly when clients book last-minute and you do not have the time to make sure the property is in pristine condition.
With 360 tours, you can show off the property in its very best form. The house looks clean, and you don’t have to call the homeowners to frantically tidy when someone wants to view.
Moreover, clients get to view the property at any time and place they want. They can literally explore your listing from the comfort of their bed!
9. Offer an immersive experience
360 tours give viewers an instant sense of belonging. By simply taking the virtual tour, they can easily imagine themselves living in that house. The realistic experience will provide clients with a greater incentive to interact with your listing as they develop a deeper connection with the property.
The bonus part is 360 tours are like an open house that’s “open” 24/7. Potential clients can access the tour as many times as they wish, day or night.
10. Simple to set up
That’s right. Setting up this cutting-edge technology does not have to be complicated.
You can easily reach out to professional photographers who specialize in 360 tours to complete everything for you. All you need to do is to provide the lockbox code to the property! They will put everything together and create a captivating 360 tour.
Once they complete shooting, they will stitch together all the images into a virtual house, then upload it on your website. Just like that, it is ready for public viewership.
iGuide vs Matterport
These are the main systems used to create 360 tours. While they are both reliable, we find iGuide is a much better contender.
With iGuide, you can:
Capture tour data more quickly. It takes 15 minutes to shoot a 3000 square feet property, while Matterport takes 105 minutes.
Enjoy faster processing speed to upload the tour on your website.
Edit images on platforms like Photoshop and Lightroom.
Measure property space more accurately.
Download the tour and view it offline.
Integrate photos and videos in the tour.
Make use of photo gallery capabilities and a schematic floor plan at no extra charge.
Zero annual hosting fees.
Are you ready to enter the realm of 360 tours?
In today’s ever-growing society, competition can be tough. However, it does not always have to be the survival of the fittest, but the smartest. The wisest way to stand out is to take advantage of high-end technology like 360 tours for your listings. Not only will current clients be blown away by your listing quality, that’s also what attracts the next homeowner to list with you, perpetuating your business.
As this blog highlights, 360 tours provide a substantial amount of value for you and your prospective clients. Along with improving your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), it offers clients a realistic virtual experience before finalizing their decision.
Now that you know about the perks of 360 tours, are you convinced to try it? Perhaps it is the extra boost that you need to take your real estate business to the next level and stay ahead of the competition.
FAQs
Is a 360 tour the same as Google Street View?
360 tours function similarly to the software as Google Street View. At the end of the day, they both allow potential clients to view the location online. Both can be added to your Google My Business listing to boost your company page SEO ranking.
However, Google Street View tends to have lower image quality and much fewer interactive options. It is simply not compatible with real estate listings. On the other hand, 360 tours give viewers the opportunity to access floor plans and maps. Therefore 360 tours are much more effective for real estate, while Google Street View should be reserved for business locations.
Do I really need a 360 tour for real estate?
Experts found that 3 out of 4 home seekers want to use virtual tour technology when buying a home. If you want to drive sales, you should focus on attracting the right clients who are serious about buying. 360 tours are the perfect tool to promote your business, broaden your reach, and present your listing more professionally.
It serves as a practical digital marketing approach and will also help expedite the decision-making process. Since prospects already get the chance to preview the house through a 360 tour, you get to save time and energy for high-intent buyers. It is a purchase with an immediate return on investment.
Should I hire a professional photographer or do it myself?
There are definitely several ways to create a 360 tour by yourself. However, there are many obstacles to deal with along the way. For example, you would require a lot of costly photography equipment, software, and practice to master panoramic photography for real estate. Taking this into account, a personal DIY 360 tour might cost a lot more than hiring a professional photographer.
Would you like us to shoot your 360 tours for real estate?
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