As the Delta variant has well and truly hit New Zealand, we may be able to expect more Covid-19 lockdowns in the near future. Realtors have managed to find a way around this when selling houses. Virtual tours are becoming the norm for many realtors wanting to show buyers property for sale within the parameters of Covid-19 restrictions.
What Are Virtual Tours?
Virtual tours are a way of showing potential home buyers the house they are considering purchasing. This can be done either through video or via a 3D walkthrough. The latter functions much like a video of the property but offers the viewer the chance to click through to different rooms to view the home at their leisure.
These virtual tours are quickly becoming a crucial way to show potential buyers a property for sale. During level 3 and 4 lockdowns, this technology has been invaluable both for sellers wanting to get offers on their properties but also for buyers who don’t want to put their house hunt on pause.
The Prevalence of Virtual Tours
Data sourced from realestate.co.nz showed that people spent more time looking online at houses during lockdown. Sellers don’t want to miss that chance to get their homes in front of viewers searching for property for sale.
Following the very first level 4 lockdown back in 2020, the percentage of listings offering video tours has increased. Between April 1 2020, and August 28 2021, 15% of house listings featured a video on the site. That’s an increase of 8% when compared with the previous period.
Apart from the West Coast, listings featuring video tours increased in all regions of New Zealand, and video listing numbers doubled in 7 of the regions. 22% of listings in Southland included a video, while 18% of those in Canterbury and Waikato had videos. Listings with videos also gain more views than those without them.
Drone footage is also becoming increasingly popular as the price of drones gets more and more affordable. In the US, it was projected that real estate agents would account for almost 22% of commercial drone use last year. After all, drones are the only way of offering a bird’s eye view tour of a property, its land, and surrounding area. Even back in 2017, 81% of NZ real estate agents had either used drone footage for a listing or would consider doing so, according to REINZ research.
Benefits of Virtual Tours
Covid-Safe Viewing
Never again worry about having a myriad of people traipsing in and out of your house when you use virtual tour technology. Rather than having people come wearing masks, scanning in, and having to limit the number of people in the property at one time, you can just upload a video walkthrough. This allows viewers to see your house without any risk of Covid transmission and none of the hassle for you.
Viewing for Out of Towners
Those who are considering moving to another region of New Zealand can find it challenging to get to house viewings. If there is an online virtual tour option, this gives out of town buyers a much more in-depth look at the place than they can gain from photos alone, making them more likely to put in an offer.
Get More Views
One study by realtor.com found that listings that featured a virtual tour got around 87% more views than those without. If you want your house seen by more people, you could consider investing in a virtual tour to get more site traffic to your listing. The more people that view your home, the more interested buyers you may have.
Sell Faster
Homes with 3D tours may sell faster than other listings. One piece of research found that houses with 3D tours sold 20% faster, while another study suggested that they could sell as much as 31% faster. The fewer days your home is on the market, the better for your stress levels!
Get a Higher Price
Finally, the most important point – offering a virtual tour of your home may help you to sell your house for a higher price. The more confident people are that your home is in good condition, the more they are willing to pay for it. A video or virtual tour offers a lot more information and reassurance to consumers that your home is in the condition you claim, especially if they aren’t able to view it in person before putting in an offer.
Luckily for you, Shopless is soon launching real estate listings! In addition to adding a virtual tour, list your property for sale on the Shopless website to generate even more views for your listing.
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