Property inspections are crucial to show potential buyers or renters the true benefits of your house. Physical attendance, however, can often prove difficult for those with geographical or scheduling conflicts. Fortunately, with advances in technology, many real estate agents are now offering virtual property inspections, saving both time and money for everyone involved.
But how do you prepare your home for a virtual inspection? Here are some tips from our team at Noel Jones on how to ready your home for video tours, as well as how to create a 3D, 360 virtual walkthrough tour.
How to Make a 360 Virtual Tour
1. Ensure the Home is Ready for Virtual Walkthrough Tours
When it comes to property inspections, potential buyers want to see a home that is clean, well-maintained and in good condition. Don’t be fooled by thinking any corners can be cut simply because you are creating virtual tours.
Before you explore how to make a 3D tour of your house, take the time to prepare it as a viable contender in a competitive real estate market:
Clean (Thoroughly)
Make sure your home is clean from top to bottom. This means dusting, vacuuming and mopping all surfaces – no detail should be overlooked. If you have time and budget, you may even want to consider hiring a professional cleaning service to give your home a thorough deep clean.
Declutter
Another important step is to declutter all areas of your home. This includes putting away any personal items, such as family photos and knick-knacks. You should also declutter countertops, shelving and floors – anywhere that potential buyers might be able to see in the virtual inspection. You want to show the full potential of the property, without it being inhibited by the lives of previous owners/inhabitants.
Test Lights & Appliances
Be sure to test all the lights and appliances in the home before the virtual inspection. This will help ensure that everything is working properly and that buyers can see everything they need during the inspection.
Perform Necessary Landscaping
If you have a yard, it’s important to make sure it is well-groomed and presentable. This may involve mowing the lawn, trimming hedges and bushes, and pulling weeds. You may also want to add some fresh flowers or other greenery to brighten up the space.
2. Select Appropriate Equipment & Software
In creating successful virtual property inspections, you will need to make sure that you have the right equipment and software. Firstly, you will need to invest in a camera with panoramic or 360-degree capabilities, which have become incredibly affordable and easy to use in recent years. Be sure to weigh the features available against pricing, including resolution depth, battery life, remote operation, and stabilisation.
You will also need a tripod to keep the camera steady during long shots to improve the professionalism of the end result. Lastly, you will need editing software to compile all your photos into a cohesive tour.
3. Create a Walk-Through Plan for Each Room
Once you have the equipment and software set up, you will need to create a walk-through plan for each room on the property. Given how you are looking to create a 3D, 360 virtual tour of your house, it helps to position the camera in the centre of the room to showcase all of the features that you want to highlight in each space. If this means an obstructed view, however, simply reposition and mark the spot where your camera is best positioned.
4. Stage Each Feature Space
If you are wondering how to make a virtual tour that piques real interest in potential buyers or renters, be sure to always stage each room and feature in your home. This means that you should focus on creating a furniture and décor arrangement that is pleasing to the eye and makes each space look its best throughout the video tours.
5. Ensure Your Tripod is Level
Another important tip we can offer to those learning how to make a virtual walkthrough tour for real estate is through keeping your tripod level. This may seem trivial, but it is crucial to ensure your shots are uniform and undistorted. For example, if you try to create a 360 virtual tour on an uneven plane, your camera will not be able to adjust, and leave you with a video of your hose holding sloping lines and angles.
6. Experiment with Test Shots
Before taking the official photos, be sure to experiment with some test shots. This will help you to get a feel for the lighting and angles that work best for each feature, and make the necessary adjustments.
7. Confirm You Have All Necessary Photos on Your Image List for Cohesive Video Home Tours
Now you know how to set up to create a 360 virtual tour, with a list of rooms and areas for taking pictures, be sure that you carefully review each image on your screen before carrying on. It is far easier to re-take a shot and even reposition as necessary, than travelling back days later once you realise the final result of your video home tours is rigid and uneven.
8. Develop Your Virtual Tour
With everything collected from the property itself, it is now time to experiment with how to make a 3D virtual walkthrough tour on your software of choice. There will be a variety of different ways to complete this, but it will typically revolve around uploading images in a determined series for the software to stitch together in order to develop a 360 virtual tour for prospective viewers. You may also be able to include extra features, such as audio or text-based descriptions, integrative links, and music.
9. Distribute the Virtual Tour
The final step in preparing for a virtual property inspection is to distribute the virtual tour. There are many ways that you can do this, but we recommend using social media or email marketing. In addition, you can also insert the virtual tour on your website or blog. Whichever method you choose, be sure to include a call-to-action so that potential buyers know how to contact you to schedule an inspection.
Work with Noel Jones for More on How to Make a 3D Tour of Your House
Ready to sell your home or make it available to rent? Noel Jones knows how to make virtual tour and in-person walkthrough tours that leave a favourable and inviting impression on visitors unlike any other in the real estate industry. Add your home to our upcoming open for inspections, or contact us today for more information.
