Virtual Open Houses

by Darrin DeRoches May 6 - 12, 2010

A virtual tour is a presentation, website, or video of your property.  It can be a simple slide show, a 360–degree panoramic view, or a full action video.  Over 70 per cent of people go to the internet first when thinking of buying a property.  They go to realtor.ca or mls.ca and type in their area, price, and other criteria, and start window shopping for their dream home.  On these sites you can have one to ten pictures of your property.  Only about 20 per cent of these listings have the added feature of a virtual tour, which has a site that enables you to have pictures of your entire property and neighborhood with panoramic views available. You can even use music and video to set the tone. These little tours may seem like a simple thing, but they can go a long way to help sell your home.    The agent who does a virtual tour is an agent who is going the extra mile. They are not afraid to work, they’re using all the tools available to them, and they’re in touch with today’s market.  There are thousands of agents in every city and if they are not technically savvy or in touch with market – move on!  They may also be cheap and are not willing to invest in a virtual tour, or they may give you some excuse why they do not do them.  These are the same agents who will not do an open house. Run. Run fast.    A virtual tour is a mini open house running 24/7.  As I sit here writing this article I had eight hits on just one of my new virtual tours.  The tour can spark interest, and it gives people an insight into your home. If it is the winter and you have a beautiful yard, include summer pictures of your property and give people more reasons to fall in love with your property.  Another great thing is that people who have viewed other properties can go online and revisit your property and compare with your competition.  The virtual tour can help tip their decision towards your property; they can revisit your property as many times as they want, any time they want, and hopefully they want your property.    The last thing about a virtual tour is that it gives you more people looking at your property who you can call upon if you have interest from a buyer, if you lower the price, or if anything else changes.  Because they have to sign in to view the tour, you can use their contact details to let them know what’s changed – which may be what they need to make a buying decision.    The virtual tour is the best tool an agent can use to put your property in the best position to sell.  No tour? Get a different agent.  The internet is the best tool to sell your home: use it to its fullest. V    Darrin DeRoches is a local real estate and mortgage broker. He can be reached to answer questions, comments or stories about real estate experiences through this weekly column at mail@uniquerealty.ca.