Today, virtual reality (VR) real estate tours are very popular for leasing teams to bring property pictures to life. Compared to flat two-dimensional photography, they are a definite improvement. But, is it the best option to reach the right prospects with the right information? Maybe not.
From 360 vr real estate tours to 3d virtual house tours, multifamily owners and managers are looking for better ways to showcase their occupancy rates. Before spending money on an expensive 360 camera or real estate virtual tour services, take a pause and think about what your prospects are really looking for and need. Some do want 360-degree virtual tours, some want unit-level video tours, and others want in-person tours. Regardless, prospective renters want real, authentic, and personalized experiences—not imaginary tours.
They want to see the real thing, not something fabricated, or what even feels fabricated. They want to experience the flow and scale of a unit. They want to feel the atmosphere and be able to imagine themselves in a space, which can only be done with live and personalized video experiences.
Ultimately, vr real estate tours simply can’t provide the experience personalized videos can for prospective renters. Here are a few reasons why.
Being Authentic
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it never tells the whole story. How often has real-life not lived up to a photo? With just the right lighting and just the right Photoshop effects, a picture can tell whatever story you want it to. Although there’s a place for 3d real estate photography and real estate 3d tours to be personalized. Take for example Real360. It’s Realync’s new Studios offering that employs video experts to capture video, 360 video, and 360 click-through tours on behalf of multifamily properties. Realync’s making a move to make 360 virtual tour more than traditional tour. This gives prospective renters a 360 look at your property and allows them to click into areas to see personalized, authentic videos.
With VR tours, they don’t set the right expectations which sets the property up for failure right away. Instead, personalized videos and live tours allow prospective renters to see what the property truly is and decide for themselves if it works for their needs.
Bringing the Human Element
Living in a virtual environment doesn’t mean living in an inhuman one. In fact, there are so many ways that the right virtual leasing software or real estate virtual tour software can keep the human-to-human element right at the center.
Personalized video and live tours give prospects what they want – a personalized experience. They want to feel like the tour is meeting their specific needs. Having a leasing agent guide the prospect either through personalized pre-recorded video or a live tour means seeing what’s really important to them. It also means having their questions and concerns addressed in the moment. That’s something a vr real estate tour, even the best, can’t offer.
Building Trust
Being authentic and human in virtual leasing and virtual home tours ultimately starts to build necessary trust between the leasing team and the prospective renters. Before a prospect even sets foot through the door, they know what to expect thanks to the virtual tour real estate experience personalized video provides. These videos put the prospect at the center of the leasing journey, building trust in the team in the process.
There is a place for impressive vr real estate tours. And there’s now a place for authentic 360 tours and 3D tours. But as for VR, they lack the realness, transparency and overall human element personalized and live video provides. So, if the goal is getting the right renters into your community, leave the vr in the virtual and keep it real.
