Lights, Camera, Action! What to Feature in Your Real Estate Virtual Tour

Approximately 5.51 million homes were sold in 2017. With so much competition on the market, how do you get your house to stand out from the rest?

You turn to the Internet! The World Wide Web has changed the way people search for new homes.

The better homebuyers can get a sense for what your house offers, the more likely they’ll be to see it in person. Nothing accomplishes this more than a real estate virtual tour. But you still need to make that tour as great as possible.

In this guide, we’ll cover a few simple tips to help you make the most of your tour so you can sell your home quickly.

Prepare Your House for the Real Estate Virtual Tour

Before any open house or showing, make sure the home is clean and ready for people to see it. A virtual tour is no different.

Think of your virtual tour as a showing that’s open to anyone online. Even people out-of-state can see and “tour” your property without attending an open house.

This means you’ll need to clean the property just as thoroughly as you would for an in-person showing.

Pick up clutter, vacuum the floors, and dust any surfaces that might catch the light. The cleaner the house is, the better it will look on the screen. 

Highlight Home Improvements

Prospective homebuyers love to see properties with desirable upgrades already installed. These include granite countertops, energy efficient appliances, and new windows.

Make sure to photograph these items in your virtual tour. It can mean the difference between someone scrolling past your house or calling the realtor to get more information about the property.

Capture That Perfect Natural Light

Lighting conditions change throughout the day. When the sun is harsh, it can make it hard to photograph the house clearly. If the light is too dim, your light bulbs could make the lighting too harsh and artificial.

You know your house best. Think about the times of day when it’s is filled with natural light. If you’re not sure, take a few moments throughout the day to see how the light looks and then jot down your observations.

Schedule the photo session when the light looks best.  

Make the House a Blank Canvas

Unfortunately, buyers often struggle to see themselves in the house if it’s filled with personal decorations and photos.

As part of your preparation for the real estate virtual tour, take the time to put those personal touches away. Ideally, the home should look as neutral as possible.

When the house looks like a blank canvas, shoppers can better picture their own decorations, furniture, and artwork inside it. 

Show Off Actual Room Sizes

Wide-angle lenses allow you to show off more of a room in a single shot. But they do so by distorting and stretching the picture.

If you’re photographing a larger room, consider using a wide-angle lens to capture the entire space. When shooting a small bedroom or bathroom, a normal lens will be best.

Mix it up, but don’t rely solely on wide-angle shots. Doing so makes it hard for buyers to get an impression of the shape and size of the home.

Get Extra Help

These tips will help you get the most out of your real estate virtual tour. But you still need to do more to market your house and sell it fast.

Need help making your house as marketable as possible? Get started here!