Statistics say that 90% of home buyers search online for their next home. Since the 1990s, real estate agencies have listed properties on their websites with picture slideshows and 360 panoramas. The introduction of 360 VR tours in real estate was a game changer, allowing future homeowners to experience properties for sale first-hand. Nothing beats a fully immersive experience of a 360 virtual reality tour.
Since their inception, 360 virtual tours seamlessly slid into their rightful place in the real estate industry. The opportunity to view houses for sale in their entirety without leaving the comfort of your home is appealing to most consumers, especially in these times of mandatory social distancing. 360 VR tours have become indispensable in property marketing.
This post will explore why you should integrate VR 360 tours into your real estate business and what you should look for in 360 virtual tour software. Not every VR application has the same features; explore what’s on offer so that you can choose the best combination of functionalities for your brand.
BENEFITS OF USING 360 VR TOURS IN REAL ESTATE
Aside from the obvious benefits for the consumers, 360 VR tours have many advantages for real estate agents as well. Here are the most important reasons why you should include these types of tours on your website:
Permanent Open House
Setting up open houses or house tours takes a lot of time and effort. Real estate agents need to organize schedules, prepare everything in advance, and drive down to the house. Then they need to spend hours showing people around, talking about the finer details of the property, and answering questions.
An evident yet crucial benefit of a 360 virtual house tour is that it is permanently available. All your potential clients need to do is log in and take a look around. Agents don’t have to walk with them or worry whether an appointment will go over time. Virtual staging doesn’t require nearly as much time and money as real-life staging.
You can share your 360 real estate tours on social media and in blog posts, where buyers can ask questions. Additionally, they can share the house they’re interested in with their friends and family so that everyone can get a feel for the place.
Better Connection with the Property
Open tours for real estate can get a little impersonal. Future homeowners are led on a previously arranged walkthrough, with slight variation. Usually, there isn’t enough time to stop and size up the living room, consider where each piece of the furniture would go, and similar.
Virtual tours allow buyers to explore at their leisure. They can spend as much time as they want inside the house for sale, and they can discover each room at their own pace. Without the standard urgency of an actual real estate tour, homebuyers can develop a genuine connection with a house. They can imagine how they will decorate it, where their dogs will be, where their kids will play, and much more.
The more time they spend inside a virtual house, the more likely they will come to you for further inquiries and perhaps even a decision to buy it.
Immersive, Interactive Experience
Virtual reality isn’t just a cute marketing gimmick. It is a set of immersive experiences that leave a lasting impression on its users. Being immersed in a different, computer-generated reality doesn’t happen often. This innovative technology is exciting; people will want to spend as much time in VR as possible, zooming in on the details and wanting to learn more about the property.
As a result, they will be more motivated to take the next step in the buyer’s journey.
Versatile Application
One of the significant advantages of 360 virtual home tours is their versatility. A real estate agency doesn’t have to showcase only the properties currently for sale. Through the power of 3D-modeling and VR, they can also present houses and apartments that are not yet open for viewing.
360 VR tours of buildings and houses in construction allow the buyers to understand what the new space will look like once it’s complete. If the tour is interactive enough, the buyers can envision the house after it’s furnished to get a better sense of whether or not it suits them.
360 VR TOUR APP FEATURES
If you want to invest in VR software that will help you create 360 VR tours, you should find out what features you can choose from. There are plenty of options in the world of VR software development – it’s just a matter of finding the features that fit your business the best.
Here are some key VR tour app functionalities you should consider:
Web-based creation – First off, you don’t want to call up a software developer whenever you want a new tour set up. You want to be able to do it yourself.
Look for 360 VR creators that are web-based (meaning that they require no download or installation) and easy to use. Anyone should be able to create a virtual tour using the software, without any coding knowledge required.Points of interest – Points of interest are essential. These are interactive dots in the 360 scene that a customer can activate and learn more about a specific area. Points of interest are virtual instructions that can be text-based, but they can also support audio and video. They’re great for describing each aspect of a real estate property whenever a user wants to learn more about it.
Audio narration – If you wish your customers to feel more like in an open house, you can choose to have audio narration play the moment they enter a 360 scene. This feature has its pros and cons – such as consumers perhaps not being prepared to listen to audio and having to look for a replay button – but it’s something your agency might want to include.
Analytics – Analytics reports will offer insight into what virtual 360 tours consumers are visiting the most, what scenes are the most engaging, and at what points they decide to leave a specific tour. These reports will help you understand your client base, what they like and dislike, and how you can improve their house viewing experience.
Questions and answers – Instead of a point of interest, you might want to include a question point. Asking your clients whether they’re enjoying the tour or what they would change about it will provide you with invaluable information. If you opt for a tour with a questionnaire, make sure its results are integrated into analytics.
Map – Finally, instead of just having your users clicking through a selection of 360 scenes, you might want to set up a map at the beginning. For example, a map could be a blueprint of a house. The user can then decide where they want to start their tour and move from there into other segments.
THE RIGHT 360 VR SOLUTION FOR YOU
We’ve already discussed how virtual reality technology is becoming essential for all types of industries. Its ability to transform the real estate sector is undeniable as more and more real estate businesses are including 360 VR tours on their websites.
The advantages of incorporating VR tours in your practice are that you will have a permanent open house that your consumers can explore at their leisure and that you can use the tour to showcase any property type, including properties that are not yet ready for viewing in real life. Virtual reality is an immersive, interactive experience that will allow your users to develop a stronger relationship with their future home.
When considering what 360 VR software to invest in, look at the features you would need: a simple, web-based creation, points of interest, analytics, question points, a map for easy navigation, and more. Perhaps a virtual staging option could be a good addition. App development should be tailored to you and your business, no matter what company you go for.
If you want more information on 360 VR tours and would perhaps like a quote for your company, contact us at ARVRtech. We develop cutting-edge augmented reality and virtual reality solutions that will help your business thrive! We’re incredibly proud of 360 VR enterprise solutions, so don’t hesitate to reach out!
