During the height of the pandemic, you may have noticed an increase in the number of estate agents and other property professionals adopting virtual tours to expedite and safely view properties. This was only natural given the mobility restrictions upon which people and businesses were placed.

As a result of Covid-19, in which the government advised estate agents to reduce the number of real property viewings they do in favour of virtual tours, virtual tours have witnessed a rise in popularity. Furthermore, as well as helping cope with pandemic conditions, virtual tours have many other useful aspects that have contributed to their popularity with both homeowners and renters, as well as property professionals.

Estate agents have found the virtual tour to be a business lifeline at this time. It has helped them deal with the problems they have had and allowed them to keep running their businesses quickly and efficiently.

The question is: now that we seem to have gotten over the worst of the pandemic and things have started to return to some kind of normality, what does the future hold for this technology? Will it still be popular with homebuyers and real estate agents? Or will it fall back to being a marketing tool used by only a few businesses?

The future of virtual property tours

As a result of recent circumstances, virtual tours have been hailed as a safe and acceptable alternative to actual face-to-face physical property viewings. They have also been recognised as offering numerous other benefits too.

Up until the pandemic struck in early 2020, a costly nice-to-have but non-essential marketing tool, virtual property tours, were formerly reserved for higher-end property listings where the return on investment could be justified.

Digital photographic technology has now advanced significantly in recent years, generating high-quality output that is much more accessible and cheaper for properties of any size and price range. This follows the general trend of technological advancement, from fringe high-end markets to being ubiquitous as affordability and utility improve.

What will the future of estate agency marketing and how homebuyers see listed homes look like from here on? Is it possible that we will revert to our pre-disruption way of doing things?

Some property professionals have voiced scepticism as to the long-term value of virtual tours as a common marketing service being offered to clients, saying people prefer face-to-face contact and viewings in the real world. However, many are seeing the numerous benefits that will result from integrating this marketing tool as a common feature, which will become just as important as providing high-quality photographs.

The benefits of virtual property tours

Estate agents are advised to do their homework when it comes to virtual property marketing since there are so many alternatives and interpretations available to them. All kinds of options have been opened up by technology, including live video conversations like WhatsApp or FaceTime, movies shot by the agent and expertly produced, and 3D virtual tours.

3-D technology allows users to take control of an immersive 360-degree virtual tour with this technology’s seamless, high-resolution simulations of a property. If you use this new tech to see properties in high resolution and at your own pace, you can get floor plans, high-quality photos, 3D views of the house, and easy-to-use tools to measure rooms.

Innovative marketing tools and techniques will generate more attention and interest, encourage client engagement, and, as a result, help in securing faster sales. People with restricted mobility or health concerns that prohibit them from travelling to a physical viewing can benefit from the availability of a virtual tour, as can potential purchasers from around the world.

In addition to this, with the rising cost of fuel, many people may be reluctant to travel long distances to physically view a property without having at least some idea or feel for the property beforehand. Virtual tours can offer a way for homebuyers and renters to view multiple properties and shortlist them before visiting them in person.

And from the point of view of the real estate agent, there are a lot of benefits to using virtual property tour software, like making it easier for buyers to qualify and cutting down on time wasters.

Evolving client expectations

Customers’ expectations have evolved as more and more estate agents provide virtual property viewings. Virtual tours are becoming increasingly popular among prospective homebuyers and renters as they allow them to evaluate properties swiftly and easily from the convenience of their own homes, eliminating the need for several in-person viewings before shortlisting their favourites. As expectations for virtual tours solidify, homebuyers and renters, for convenience, will likely seek out agencies and properties that can be viewed in this way.

There’s a good chance that virtual property viewings will become the “new normal” as customer expectations shift. Zoopla and other property portals already have property listings with virtual tours, making them more accessible to potential buyers while they do property searches.

A recent rise in the popularity of virtual tours only shows how important this technology can be for both clients and real estate agents.

Virtual tours have a positive future ahead of them, thanks to a slew of new advancements in technology. As an example, “virtual staging” is being discussed in property circles. Rather than merely a virtual tour of a house, this sophisticated technology can be used to assist prospective buyers design and see what their future home may look like.

Potential homebuyers may take their search for a home to creative new heights by selecting and putting virtual furniture, fixtures and fittings, in the picture as well as experimenting with colours and flooring to visualise what will work for them. Unfurnished residences can benefit from virtual staging as well as viewers will be able to visualise what each room would like when fully furnished.

Of course, buyers and renters will likely want to see the property in person before making a final decision about one of their most important investments. But virtual tours offer numerous benefits on the journey in finding the right property for them.