4 Ways to Crush Your Virtual Open House Strategy

Source: https://www.virtuance.com/blog/virtual-open-house-guide/

Most real estate professionals conduct their business in-person. For many, pivoting to a virtual space for marketing and selling real estate feels scary and unnatural. We understand that this change to virtual marketing seems daunting and that’s why we wrote a guide on virtual open houses. There are a number of tools real estate agents can use to successfully market listings virtually.

Below are 4 ways to crush your virtual open house marketing strategy:

360-Degree Panoramas

Using 360° HDReal® Panoramas in your listing will allow buyers to better visualize the space. Virtuance’s 360-degree panos are created by our professional photographers capturing and stitching together an image. The 360° HDReal® Panoramas work with the gyro sensors within smartphones for an even more powerful virtual impact. Additionally, our 360-degree pano images can be viewed within the Virtuance Marketing Suite or on Facebook as a post! Here are 10 samples of 360° HDReal® Panoramas: https://www.hdreal360.com/#!/

Why we love 360° HDReal® Panoramas:

• Panoramic images put viewers at the center of an experience
• Viewers can easily change which part of the room they want to see
• The 360-degree panos are spatially accurate
• When staged, viewers can better visualize how to layout a room (vs a still image)

Matterport 3D Tours

Imagine buyers getting the chance to walk through your listing without actually physically being in the home. While not as ideal as an in-person tour, a virtual walkthrough is a convenient option if you cannot hold an open house/showing or if the buyers are not able to travel to an open house. Matterport 3D Tours is a tool that stitches multiple real estate images together in order to provide one cohesive virtual experience. Similar to Google Maps Street View, Matterport allows viewers to click their way through the listing from their desktop or mobile device.

Viewers can experience Matterport tours by selecting from three different views. There’s Dollhouse View, which allows users to view the home in its entirety from every angle. In Dollhouse View, buyers can better visualize the flow of the home. If there are multiple stories, buyers can see the complete layout as a 3D rendering. There’s Floor Plan View, which provides a bird’s eye view of the listing. This helps buyers better conceptualize the dimensions and space. And then there’s Inside View, which is the main way to navigate a Matterport 3D Tour. To one of Virtuance’s Matterport 3D Tours, click here.

Why we love Matterport 3D Tours:

• Buyers can tour your listing anytime, anywhere
• Viewers receive an in-depth tour of your listing
• Buyers can go at their own pace and easily revisit rooms
• A high-quality virtual environment helps viewers feel like they’re in the room
• The tours are dimensionally accurate and cover up to 10,000 square feet.

Facebook/Instagram Live

Social media platforms now offer live video streaming tools for users. Facebook Live and Instagram Live are two great options for hosting a virtual open house. When you do a live walkthrough, viewers will feel that real-time connection. A live social media video is a great place to speak to your audience while you show a listing. You can highlight property features and really dive into the characteristics of a home from an expert’s perspective.

Why we love Facebook and Instagram Live:

• Real estate professionals can engage with their audience
• Viewers get a walkthrough tour from a real estate professional
• Viewers can interact with the host and ask important questions
• Live videos provide a sense of togetherness and connectedness

To learn more about improving your social media strategies, read this article: Social Media For Real Estate, Strategies to Grow Your Brand Online.

Video Conferencing Platforms

An alternative to using social media platforms for live videos is to use a video conferencing platform. Zoom, for example, is a great option for listing agents to host a virtual open house tour. You can send a Zoom meeting invite via email or social media and host a video room with up to 100 viewers. The fun thing about Zoom is the ability to add virtual backgrounds to your meeting. This is a good way to add some fun and color to your view before you start the virtual open house. We create a package of 10 free Zoom backgrounds for Realtors that you can download here.

Why we love video conferencing platforms:

• You can send out exclusive invites to serious buyers
• Zoom virtual backgrounds enhances your video meetings
• Viewers can interact directly with you through their own camera
• Buyers get an inside look of the listing from an industry expert

Taking your open house strategy completely virtual seems like a daunting task. Fortunately a few real estate photography vendors and social media platforms help alleviate those difficulties with essential virtual products and tools. You can host a virtual open house in a number of ways including 360-degree panoramas, Matterport 3D Tours, Facebook/Instagram Live videos, and Video Conferencing platforms, like Zoom.

To learn more about Virtuance’s virtual open house products, click here.