Table of Contents
- 5 Types of Virtual House Tours
- Which Tours Are Most Popular?
- Sell More Listings With AgentUp Virtual House Tours
Virtual house tours (VHT) became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pandemic safety measures included social distancing, which led to the expansion of virtual tour adoption because in-person property showings were usually impossible.
Thankfully, the pandemic is over, but the real estate marketing trend it started has become a standard part of the real estate sales industry.
Different types of virtual home tours have developed during this time due to technological advances.
In this article, we’ll examine the different types of virtual house tours and probe their key benefits.
5 Types of Virtual House Tours
As technology continues improving, various virtual house tours have emerged. Let’s explore 5 types of virtual house tours in more detail.
1. Basic 360-Degree Photo Virtual House Tours
360-Degree Photo Virtual House Tours use the images taken by a 360-degree camera to produce panoramic photos of a property.
The benefits of these VHTs include the following:
- Panoramic views of the entire property
- An enhanced sense of the layout and flow from room to room
- Rooms and spaces can be viewed from multiple perspectives and angles
The user guides these tours by dragging a navigator icon within each panorama to view and navigate between different rooms.
A 360-degree camera and editing software to stitch and blend photos are needed to produce this type of tour.
While these tours are impressive, they lack the level of interactivity that our next tour type offers.
2. Interactive 3D Virtual House Tours
The second VHT type is Interactive 3D Virtual House Tours.
These tours are similar to the first in our list but with a few key differences, including the following:
- Hotspots and pining are use to include details about the spaces and rooms, including amenities and unique features
- These tours offer greater virtual mobility, allowing the user to zoom in and capture views from any angle or perspective
Interactive 3D Virtual House Tours offer a more realistic and informative experience than basic panoramic experiences.
Next on our list is Virtual Reality House Tours.
3. Virtual Reality House Tours
Virtual Reality (VR) House Tours are similar to interactive 3D tours but can only used with VR headsets (like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive), and a VR platform software is required.
There are benefits and drawbacks to this type of VHT. Consider the following:
- The tour experience is highly realistic, and the user actually experiences being immersed in the property
- Required technology for these tours can be expensive
- A significant number of users find these tours disorienting and unpleasant
Despite the drawbacks, the interactivity offered by this type of tour is unrivaled, as users can explore the property in a fully immersive VR environment.
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4. Guided Virtual House Tours
Guided Virtual Tours are those in which the sales agent, buyer agent, or property manager guides users through a virtual tour via a video call or a pre-recorded session.
A guided virtual tour can rely on most of the other forms of tours mentioned.
Again, there are advantages and disadvantages to this tour type, as is the case with the others. For example, think about the following:
- The sales professional directs the tour, calling out the property’s best features and strongest selling points
- Since the tours are guided, user navigation is typically limited
- Many users would prefer to navigate the property on their own without input from the guide
If the tour is live, users can ask questions and request to see specific areas.
For this type of tour, the required technology consists of an online conferencing platform in addition to the specific tour equipment.
5. Augmented Reality Virtual House Tours
Last on our list is Augmented Reality (AR) Virtual House Tours.
These tours combine virtual reality capacities with advanced photo editing technology, including virtual staging.
Therefore, these tours raise the following considerations and concerns:
- Users can explore the furniture and design renovations virtually made to the physical space
- Sales professionals can present any property at its absolute best
- Buyers can better grasp the listing’s potential
- However, the augmented reality might be drastically different from the actual listing, leading to buyer disappointment
Additionally, the production time, cost, and technology required for these tours may be beyond the reach of some real estate sales professionals.
Which Tours Are Most Popular?
Now that you understand the basic 5 types of virtual house tours, you’re likely wondering which are more popular.
All of the VHT types offer advantages and disadvantages. Which types are most common in today’s market?
The 360-degree Panoramic Photo Tours and the Interactive 3D Virtual Tours are the most used virtual tours due to their high interactivity, realistic and immersive experience, detailed visualization, and ease of integration with other technologies.
Consider the following advantages of these tour types:
- Users can navigate freely, choosing where to go and what to look at
- These tours provide a realistic sense of flow, size, and layout
- Viewers can zoom in on desired details, such as appliances and finishes
- The technology for both tour types is affordable and within reach of most sales agents
Anticipated developments include increased use of AI and greater personalization of the tour experiences.
Artificial intelligence is expected to continue to play a significant role in personalizing the VHT experience, offering qualified recommendations, and highlighting features based on user search preferences.
Virtual house tours will soon likely include demonstrations of smart home features like connected appliances, automated lighting, heating and cooling programming, and security systems.
The technology also makes it easy to include information about the neighborhood and, when combined with drone photography, will provide a truly comprehensive property experience.
While the COVID-19 pandemic initiated the surge in VHTs, their convenience and marketing power will continue to be valued long after the pandemic.
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Sell More Listings With AgentUp Virtual House Tours
AgentUp offers affordable Interactive 3D Virtual House Tours.
These tours provide a realistic online experience of any property – and buyers appreciate them, as the following statistics show:
- Properties marketed with virtual home tours receive 87% more views
- 54% of potential buyers won’t schedule an in-person showing if the listing doesn’t include a virtual tour
- Listings with VHTs close 31% quicker than those not featuring such an experience
Creating an AgentUp virtual house tour is fast and easy. You can have a professional and compelling VHT with little effort.
Simply follow these 5 simple steps:
Step 1. Sign up for a free AgentUp account.
Step 2. Take photos of the entire listing using any 360-degree camera.
Step 3. Upload the photos, property dimensions, and instructions using AgentUp’s convenient and fast file uploader.
Step 4. Indicate the informative hotspots with our easy-to-use pinning technology.
Step 5. Approve and download your finished VHT.
AgentUp virtual house tours also allow for white-labeling, promoting an enhanced viewing experience.
Additionally, you have control in determining the property’s best features and showcasing its amenities, updates, and unique qualities.
Leverage the power of VHTs today and start attracting more qualified buyers and achieving faster sales at higher prices.
AgentUp Offers a Full Range of Real Estate Marketing Tools
AgentUp is an industry leader in real estate marketing support services, including the following tools to help you sell more listings and expand your business:
- AI real estate photo editing
- AI virtual staging
- Single property websites
- Custom house portraits
- And real estate virtual assistants
Their marketing coordination package provides the convenience of one-stop shopping and includes photography services, photo editing, virtual staging, floor plans, and more!
They also offer an affordable listing coordination package.
So, why wait?
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