Ah, the open house. You either love it or are indifferent to it. But either way, an open house is an essential tool in your real estate marketing plan. Traditional open houses require you to set up a multitude of signs leading traffic in the direction of your listing. Your Saturday or Sunday are the ideal days of the week for such activities. As a real estate agent, there are no days off if you want to be successful. However, the pandemic has forced you to rethink and rework your marketing plan and now technology has given you the ability to host a virtual open house.
What is a virtual open house?
Similar to the 3D tours you offer as part of your listing services, a virtual open house is viewed completely on any device with a screen that can connect to the internet. There are a couple of options in terms of presentation.
Live streaming of your tour is where you are physically at the property with a handheld device such as your smartphone while walking through the property and giving a live presentation. A live tour can come with its problems such as poor streaming, malfunction of your equipment, or a crass viewer trying to ruin your tour.
The other option is looking more polished by using pre-recorded 3D tours where you are in control of every aspect. The benefits of having a professional virtual tour from companies like iGUIDE are numerous.
You will save time by preparing in advance, offer outstanding video quality with a professional shoot, and have the ability to upload your virtual open house on your chosen platform for anyone to view it regardless of the time zone they are in.
Satisfy the demand of the consumer
Social distancing and fear of contagions have driven the consumer to demand more options for visiting a prospective property. With 3D tours, you can satisfy the needs of both the seller and the buyer.
Naturally, the seller is content with you limiting disruptions in their daily lives by hosting showings and open houses virtually. And, the buyers can view your virtual open house in the comfort of their own home.
Not only does this give the buyer a convenient way to form an emotional connection with the home, but they can also check out the floor plan, professional photos, and get all the highlights of the property through your carefully scripted virtual open house tour.
Preparation
What is a virtual open house preparation? Getting your presentation ready to showcase your listing to other real estate agents or the public requires a little practice. Writing a script to talk about the accurate square footage and floor plan is a good place to start.
Of course, you will want to include a multitude of intimate details about the home and the general neighbourhood. Make a point of following up by giving the link to the virtual tour so interested parties can revisit the home at their leisure.
Familiarize yourself with the various platforms you may want to use to host the open house like Zoom, Google meets, or one of your choosing.
Virtual open houses streamed live will require setting up the property to look great during the tour, making sure the lights are all illuminated, and the home is clear of clutter.
Getting the word out
Advertising your virtual open house can be done through a variety of media. A good place to start is to add the details to your MLS information and Realtor.com. In addition, you can use social media to schedule a Facebook® live event, use teaser videos on your Instagram® profile, and send out a few interesting twitter® messages.
Be sure to include the date and time you will be hosting your virtual open house. Check with other real estate agents who may have listings in the area to help get the word out. Think about pairing up with one or more of them to increase your reach. Don’t forget about using your existing for sale sign by adding: “check out when the next virtual open house is” and your website address.
Effective or not
What is a virtual open house good for anyway? While a virtual open house may seem like just another gimmick, it is a great way to communicate value to your seller along with the 3D tours, drone videos, and real estate marketing tools from cutting-edge pioneers iGUIDE®. It is all about providing value to your seller and using technology to market a property. Sure there will always be the traditionalists who prefer up close and personal tours of a home, but with more than 97% of all buyers starting their home search online, you can bet a good portion of them will jump on to that virtual open house.
The driving force behind any great real estate marketing plan is technology. By incorporating virtual open houses, virtual tours, and one on one virtual showings you are making it easier to bring information to potential buyers and making it a whole lot easier for your seller to see the value of a great real estate agent.
