Do 3D Tours Actually Make Your House Sell Faster?

As a means of enhancing property listings, 3D tours have increased in popularity among realtors and sellers, especially among the next generation of buyers, as over 75% look for an online tour (via Hometrack Real Estate Market).

In fact, some might argue that this interactive tool goes beyond viewing still-life photos or even watching a video walk-through of a home since you can control the navigation. Moreover, 3D tours offer an additional convenience for potential buyers who can't attend an in-person viewing and for sellers and agents who already have busy schedules. And because 3D tours are integrated with an online listing, you're looking at reaching buyers on a much broader scale through websites and social media.

While the convenience and ability to share a 3D tour on multiple platforms might it an ideal marketing tool, you may wonder if it will result in the fast sale of your property. For this reason, we'll look more closely at how quality may impact its usage and effectiveness and whether you should include this feature in your listing.

First off, the quality of the 3D tour can make or break its efficacy, thus impacting the decision to include it in the listing. Additionally, there are many more factors that affect how well the finished product turns out. For example, the property's setup should be realistic but not to the point where you include the laundry piled on the bed.

At the same time, the image should be aesthetically appealing, but you'll need to be careful to exclude any personal mementos. Aside from giving away too much personal information about the seller, they tend to detract from the space's selling points. There should be a balance between displaying an empty space waiting to be filled and showing viewers what the room would look like once they move in by adding simple furnishings and accessories.

You'll also need to keep in mind that an effective 3D tour includes a floor plan and a birds-eye view of the property from different angles. With these components in mind, the ideal result is to give your audience as detailed of a view as possible while enabling them to feel like they are actually walking through the property.

Another possibility to ponder is incorporating the tour with a short video that gives just the highlights of the property along with the traditional room photos. A well-rounded listing can gain a lot of views, but if it's not done correctly, it can overwhelm and turn off a potential buyer.

If you're wondering whether to integrate a 3D tour into your listing, you might look at your existing content to see if this marketing tactic would add to or take away from potential sales. As an illustration, a virtual tour might appeal to the tech-savvy buyer, while retirees looking to downsize or relocate might prefer to view the standard photos and read a detailed description before deciding whether to attend an open house. Hence, you might have to give some thought to the audience you're trying to target.

Also, there is a chance that the video and photos provided by you or the professional you hired to capture these images might suffice. By providing these visual highlights of your property, you may gain enough attention that will translate into actual appointments for viewing and, consequently, the sale of your home. After all, the in-person walkthrough (whenever it's possible) will ultimately hook the potential buyer along with a fair price and excellent location.

Finally, you might consider how much time and budget to designate for marketing your home. This factors into the decision because of the time and cost of finding a professional to help with staging the property, taking the photos, and creating a quality tour.