Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are shying away from attending open houses and touring listings in-person. This, of course, can impede homeowners from selling their houses in a timely manner. In the past, users could only click through a photo gallery or watch a standard video tour. These resources, of course, are not as useful as seeing the actual house in person. A person would not purchase a house based on a 1-minute video clip alone. But thanks to advances in technology, homeowners can host a virtual showing that mimics an in-person tour as closely as possible, all while sticking by social distancing rules.  

Searching for and attempting to sell a house can be daunting, especially with the development of the COVID-19 temporarily disrupting our lives. But it is possible to pull it off. Here’s how.

3D Home Staging

Advances in photorealistic rendering create a picture-perfect image of your home

Traditionally, people would “stage” their homes to make them more appealing to visitors. This usually involved rearranging furniture, removing personal household items, and adjusting the lighting to increase the overall value of a house. It also helped a prospective owner in envisioning their own lives in the home. Home staging is so effective, that a 2018 survey found that out of over 4,000 homes, 68% of staged homes sold for at least 9% more than those of unstaged ones.

Over the past several years, home staging has started to go virtual. Take advantage of this resource to allow your home to shine in the best possible light it can. Virtual staging is faster and cheaper than physically staging a home while still producing similar results. With virtual staging software, designers can add and rearrange the furniture. They can also update and adjust the style of a room. Designers will also adjust the lighting to make the room appear brighter and more open. Any additions that are made appear 100% realistic.

Interactive Listings

Host a live house tour online

Virtual agents rely on their interactions with prospective buyers. Through interactive virtual showings, agents can guide visitors through a comprehensive house tour. As they walk through the house, they can stop to show off rooms, point out striking features, and answer any questions the buyer might have about it. While the buyer wouldn’t be able to open a drawer themselves, the agent can do it for them.

Want to get more creative? Host a Facebook or Instagram live event to showcase the house’s kitchen. A simple cooking demonstration not only shows off the kitchen’s features, but it also helps buyers envision their own lives in the house. Want to feature other rooms in the house? Host a BBQ outside by the pool or a game of pool in the den. Even a live video that follows your agent as they explore the house and interact with viewers can help draw buyers in.

Virtual Reality Home Tour

3D rendering has allowed virtual tours to feel more realistic than ever

Interactive 3D rendered images and virtual walkthroughs are currently making waves in the real estate industry. They will most likely continue to rise in popularity as more and more people elect to follow the CDC guidelines and stay home. As a result, they are more open than ever to electing virtual tours over physical ones. Virtual tours also come with their own set of perks. In the long run, agents and homeowners save time on scheduling and house visits while also capturing more sales leads.

Virtual tours can usually be accessed anytime. They are not live events, but rather animated modules that show off digital renderings of a house or apartment. A user typically clicks through the hallways and rooms. They will also zoom in on certain parts of the building that they like or are interested in. Virtual reality tours are sometimes available as well. They allow you to interact with different parts of the house and they also give you greater flexibility in choosing where you go. However, these are rarer than the conventional tours you can usually find on real estate websites.

Online Neighborhood Visit

Take a virtual stroll through the neighborhood

While you may not be able to take a physical stroll through a neighborhood, you can use online resources to help you paint an accurate picture of it. Google Maps allows you to take a quick, virtual tour around the neighborhood. Most real estate websites allow you to view other homes in the vicinity of the one you are actually interested in.

Of course, you will also want to know about the general housing prices, taxes, crime rate, transportation, and climate of the area you may be moving into. We recommend visiting these websites to get a comprehensive view of your future neighborhood.

• Sperlings Best Places offers an overview of essential information about neighbrohoods and regions.
• Retirement Living provides users a narrative summary of various state taxes. This includes income taxes, sales and property tax rates, and even miscellaneous taxes on things like gasoline and cigarettes.
• The FBI regularly releases Uniform Crime Reports that provide the number of crimes and types of crime reported in a neighborhood.
• Walk Score and Google Maps are great resources for finding out information on public transportation and nearby grocery stores or gas stations.
• Visit your local school district’s website for more information on the schools in your area. You can also go on Walk Score or Neighborhood Scout for more information. This will help you determine whether the school would be a good fit for your children.
• The Weather Channel is perfect for people who want detailed information on the local weather of an area. Users can find out the annual rainfall, humidity, and even pollen count of a specific region.

Understand How the Technology Works, and Will Benefit You in the Long Run

You may need some help getting used to the technology at first

Unless you are already a skilled computer scientist or graphic design artist, you will probably need help setting these virtual tours up. An increasing number of real estate companies and realtors have already begun familiarizing themselves with this emerging technology. Many of them had even turned to specialized computer-aided designers to help them render images of their clients’ homes for years now. Luckily, you won’t have to try to create your own home renderings. But it is still helpful to understand how this technology works and how it can ultimately help you. Let’s explore some of it now.

3D Rendering

Many real estate companies nowadays take advantage of a technology known as 3D rendering. Simply put, 3D rendering is the process of converting 3D models into 2D images on a computer. Graphic designers will often add photorealistic effects to make the image appear more lifelike. Traditionally, 3D rendering has been used to design models for construction projects. But over the years, the real estate industry has begun to implement it into their own practices.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is often associated with images of people wearing headsets as they climb a mountain or swing across a river. It also offers its own practical uses, including the ability to give people virtual tours! Visitors can experience immersive, three-dimensional walkthroughs of various properties all without leaving their house.

3D virtual tours can be held in two different formats: guided visits and interactive visits. Guided visits are similar to conventional promotional videos. However, they are either completely virtual or are formatted into a 360-degree video. Guided visits are easier to make than interactive visits, as you just need to use a panoramic camera to create the 360-degree video. During an interactive visit, a visitor can pick specific spots of a property to move toward. It’s definitely more immersive than the guided visit.  

3D virtual tours are just slowly starting to gain traction in the real estate industry. As a result, this feature may not be available for most of the houses you are interested in. It is likely to stay this way for the immediate future. Nonetheless, it is a useful feature to consider when you start to sell your house.

FAQ

HER Answers Your Most Urgent Questions on Selling Your House During the COVID-19 Pandemic

You probably have a lot of questions running around in your mind. HER, REALTORS® is here to answer them. Here are the most frequently asked questions people have had about selling a house in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Should I still try to hold an open house during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Remember that there are a variety of online resources and software that allow you to showcase your home online. This method also allows you to faithfully follow the CDC’s recommendation to self-isolate yourself and stay home. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should stop all efforts to sell your house. Take advantage of this new software and technology. Your realtor is here to assist you throughout the process. If you have any questions, remember that they are only a call away.

If someone wants to tour my home, should I ask if they have traveled recently or were sick?

If you are hosting a small house tour, you have the right to ask your visitors if they are or were sick and if they have traveled anywhere recently. Make sure you visit the CDC guidelines to stay six feet away from each other. No more than 10 people should be touring the home at a time. Guests should sanitize their hands and remove their shoes before entering the house.

If you don’t feel comfortable with giving house tours at the moment, do not feel obligated to. Whether you are a prospective owner or a seller, it is certainly safer to turn down any offers for a house tour.

Will a “Shelter in Place” order prevent me from holding an open house?

Yes. A Shelter in Place stipulates that residents stay at home unless they need to leave for essential activities. Since open houses aren’t considered an “essential activity,” they will have to be suspended.

Are people still hosting open houses?

As of now, there are still a small number of homeowners hosting open houses. However, a new NAR survey that was conducted from March 16th to March 17th, 2020 found that 40% of members have suspended open houses. This number is likely to increase, especially in areas experiencing a significant outbreak of COVID-19.  

What are the CDC guidelines for staying inside?

As of now, the CDC is advising that people maintain a six-foot distance from each other and to clean and regularly disinfect frequently touched surfaces. Since maintaining this would be difficult during house tours and visits, we recommend refraining from holding them for now.

Technology has made it possible to do things we never thought were achievable just several years ago. Years ago, the idea of being able to work from home sounded like a pipe dream. But video meetings and chat rooms have allowed us to remain in constant communication with our friends and colleagues, even if we can’t be with them in person. What unique methods are you using to help sell your house? Tell us in the comments.