Virtual Real Estate Tours Have Become Essential as COVID Suspends Open Houses

By RICOH360 Tours team

With concerns remaining about COVID-19 and in the interest of clients, agents, employees, and communities real estate agents across the country are hastening to find alternatives to Open Houses.

Open houses have long been an effective tool for sellers. Hosting an open house helps them see how much general interest exists in their local real estate market. As well, homes that have open houses tend to sell for more money and spend less time on the market, a recent study from Redfin found. But now that the doors to listings are remaining closed to large groups, agents are turning to technology.

Virtual tours in real estate are not new, but they’re proving a viable alternative to physical showings now that many would-be sellers are reluctant to let buyers inside. Many real estate professionals would love the ability to market and show properties with virtual tours but the cost has been prohibitive, the workflow cumbersome, and time spent on the property doesn’t bode well with the seller.

Advancements in technology have continued at a fast pace. A real estate professional can now create and market their listing with a virtual tour without having to spend more than 30 minutes at the property, spend vast amounts of money or learn how to technically master the equipment. You might be surprised to know what options are out there in this age of social distancing.

RICOH360 Tours allows anybody to create virtual tours in minutes. Through automation the process becomes very streamlined and simple. Real estate professionals who don’t feel comfortable trying out new technology needn’t feel overwhelmed or challenged in this regard.

Credit: Olga Soboleva www.ravephoto.com

Instead of relying on service providers to create the virtual tours, real estate professionals are now doing it themselves with a mobile phone that’s already at their disposal and a Ricoh 360 camera.

If you haven’t conducted a virtual tour in the past, you may like to read tips and tricks for creating your own virtual tour here The Secret Weapon to a Great Listing Presentation | RICOH360 Tours. Of course, you may need a bit of help at the beginning which is why complementary training is provided so agents can hit the ground running and post their virtual tours to the MLS, social media or email directly from the property. In most cases the training is the icing on the cake as the automation makes for a very gentle learning curve.

According to Zillow, a major real estate portal site in US, 72% of agents said they are likely to continue providing virtual tours after the COVID-19 outbreak ends.

Many home buyers are staying home as a result of the pandemic but are still shopping for homes by utilizing virtual tours. In July 75% of U.S. adults said they would want the option to tour remotely through virtual or video technology if they were home shopping right now.

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