Times are weird and hard. No one quite knows how to navigate things day to day. No one quite knows what’s ahead. The one thing we can all agree on is that staying home is imperative.

I’m getting lots of questions about what’s happening in real estate. There’ve been calls from clients asking if it’s a good time to sell, if it’s a good time to buy. It’s neither – it’s a good time to stay home.

Regardless, some people will need to buy and sell. So how do we navigate that? Two words – online marketing. Providing and viewing virtual tours during COVID-19 is the safest way to market a property.

There’s a lot of confusion around what a virtual tour actually is. Slideshow videos of all the photos taken set to boring music (that lasts forever) is not effective in selling a house. It’s boring for buyers and doesn’t give an accurate feel of a property.

When I talk about Virtual Tours, there are 2 kinds I’m referring to:

A cinematic video tour is set to music the same as a slideshow. The difference? It’s an actual professionally curated motion video. Rather than a collection of wide angled photos, this type of virtual tour is a full “walkthrough” usually shot with a gimbal.

THIS is what I’m talking about when I say virtual tours are imperative during COVID-19. 3D virtual tours are interactive. They allow you to actually walk through the property. Rather than just looking at photos or a video, you are placed directly in the center, able to navigate throughout.

My photographers use a system called Matterport that also creates a floorpan, has a “dollhouse” viewing mode and allows you to take room measurements yourself.

Online marketing is a game changer in this industry, especially in such an uncertain time. I’m strongly dissuading all of my buyers from seeing anything in person during COVID-19 unless it’s their last checkmark before offering.

There are people actually buying properties they’ve NEVER SEEN.

Virtual tours are the second best option to seeing a property in person. Any agent who isn’t providing this service to their seller client is doing them a disservice. Without adequate online marketing resources, it’s hard for buyers to make an attachment.

It’s my goal to make sure your property is competitive and available to all potential buyers (always, not just now!). That means making sure I have all possible marketing options covered. It means making sure I have both kinds of virtual tours during COVID-19 for maximum exposure and usability. It means keeping my clients and potential buyers safe.

You made it to the end! THANK YOU!!
If you’re not exceptionally bored by my run-on sentences and bad humour, keep reading! 
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