With many people still wanting to stay safe from COVID-19 yet wanting to get their lives back on track too, there’s been a surge in both home buyers and sellers wanting a safe way to house-hunt. Here are some tips for creating an online real estate tour of your home to help sell your home quickly, from our cash for houses Fort Worth team.
The Power of Online Real Estate
Even before COVID-19, online spaces were quickly gaining popularity over traditional real estate listing strategies. According to research by Zillow in 2018, 79% of buyers used the internet to search for their next home, with one-third of buyers saying that virtual tours were an exceptional helpful resource in their search. In fact, a virtual tour (also called a 3D tour) makes a listing almost irresistible – getting your listing twice as many views as standard online listings.
So, what happens in a virtual real estate tour? These videos allow a potential buyer to virtually walk through the property. They can choose which rooms they go into and look at the space from different angles. This is different from a traditional listing video because the viewer has much more control and is able to stop and focus on specific features, getting a more accurate view of the home. It’s an exploration rather than a video – a bit like using street view in Google Maps. It gives buyers the most accurate experience of your home they can get other than by seeing it in person – and it’s all remote, which is important for many people during the pandemic.
How to Get Your Home Ready for a Virtual Tour
- Clean up – You want your home to be as spacious and clutter-free as possible, so it will need a thorough cleaning out from top to bottom. Remove excess furniture so the space of the room can be easily seen. It’s better to hire temporary storage to help clear your home rather than leaving it looking crowded in the virtual tour.
- Repair – Virtual tours allow buyers to look everywhere in your home, as if they were really there, so it’s a good idea to get any basic repair jobs out of the way. You may want to repaint in light, neutral colors, make sure the front yard and front door are looking appealing (add plants, a new coat of paint, etc.), repair lighting, wall/closet damage and clean up the back yard.
- Stage – You can stage your home yourself using your own belongings or hire a company to stage it for you. You don’t want the house to be empty because that makes it very difficult for a buyer to envision themselves in it and to see the true size and proportions of each room. Empty houses take a lot longer to sell than furnished ones, which is important if you want to sell your home quickly.
- Video – You can create the virtual tour yourself if you want to sell your home privately or have your real estate agent do it as part of your marketing strategy. Useful apps for creating virtual home tours include the Zillow 3D Home app, Roundme, EyeSpy360 and Tourwizard. Test out different angles and camera heights to see how they look, check your lighting through the day to get the best possible lighting, and tape markings to the floor to help show you exactly where to stand in each room to properly capture it. Do several takes to ensure you get it just right, and remember to film in high definition for the best quality. Remember to set aside an hour or two that’s kids and pet-free so you can film at your leisure and without interruption!
Want a Hassle-Free, Affordable Alternative? Speak to Our Cash For Houses Fort Worth Team and Sell Your Home Quickly
If cleaning, repairs and staging sound like too much work and too much money, then there is a great alternative that will help you sell your home quickly – cash for houses! It costs you nothing (you pay zero real estate agent commission) and it’s all completed remotely, so there’s no COVID-19 risk.
If you are looking to sell your home, our cash for houses Fort Worth team can help you make it happen and sell your home in 24 hours. We’re an established, reputable business and we’re passionate about helping you to sell your home.
We buy houses for cash in just 24 hours. You pay no commission and you can sell your house as is – putting more money in your pocket with no hassles, no fuss, and no need to even fix, paint or clean your home. With fast, professional and ethical services, our Fort Worth real estate agents are ready to help you out with a competitive, market-related offer.
Contact our Fort Worth real estate agents today if you’d like more information on our cash for houses services, or if you’d like to sell your home quickly.