Why Most Virtual Tours for Real Estate Suck, and 14 Ways to Make Yours Amazing

Technology has transformed the decidedly old-school world of real estate, but few people in the real estate business use technology like virtual tours to their full advantage. Instead, they commit the same mistakes time and time again that mar the experience for potential home buyers. In the process, listing agents lose countless potential inquiries and offers on some of their most important blue chip properties.

To fix these problems, home sellers and their agents have to get the right perspective on virtual tours. Then, they have to follow through with best practices that make the virtual tour not only more impressive, but also a more pivotal part of the home buying experience. That second part is actually even more important. Things like bad lighting can take away from a virtual tour’s impact, but if someone can’t access the tour without waiting five minutes, they won’t be interested at all.

If you are a real estate agent or home seller looking to make the most out of their home listing’s virtual tour, we’re here to clear the air and get you on the right path. To improve your chances at getting more buyers interested through virtual tours and getting bigger offers, consider some of the following major points below.

Very Few Virtual Tours Actually Fit the Needs of the Buyer Market

A “virtual home tour” can be a vague descriptor for many different things.

Many call video walkthroughs of homes “virtual tours,” for instance. While a great listing video can complement photos and really drive interest, it is definitely not the same thing as a virtual tour. A proper virtual tour is interactive, allowing the prospective buyer to view the home at their own pace and according to what draws their particular interest. Since a video railroads them down a particular path and only highlights select images of the property, it does not suffice.

Other people describe a navigable 3D model of a home as a virtual tour. In the real estate industry, 3D approximations work far better for properties not built yet. By taking a real home and changing it into a 3D video-game style simulation, you compromise the actual sights and experiences of…