In the age of global stay-at-home directives and social distancing Real Estate brokers and agents are turning to Virtual Tours and Virtual Open Houses. This is a way for buyers to tour a property without actually stepping into it. Virtual tours used to be exclusively for mansions and higher end properties. Now, its a viable option for everyone.

You can start with a video of both the inside and outside of a property. To see a sample video tour posted on You Tube click Sample Video Tour

That video can be posted on You Tube. Potential buyers are directed to the video thru links posted in social media, advertising, or flyers. For printed materials consider including a QR code.

In addition to a video, the realtor can set up a self guided tour using technology similar to Google maps street view. Click to see a sample: Virtual Tour with hot spots  We can use Video Game technology to provide a flexible experience. Finally, for users with VB gear, there’s an immersive experience, though this is still in the future.

Real Estate Brokerages are completely cancelling open houses in favor of virtual solutions.

A Virtual Open House is nothing more than a hosted virtual tour. The realtor sets up a live event (available on Facebook) and invites prospects to “tune” in at a specific date and time. Just like a real open house. At the appointed time, the realtor moderates the showing of the video. Viewers can ask questions and post comments. The realtor can then answer in real time.

The national lock-down was a game changer for the real estate industry. Today a prospective buyer can get approved for a loan, tour potential homes, make an offer and even close without ever leaving their living room.

According to a recent survey from the California Assn. of Realtors, a third of California agents reported changes in seller behavior — such as canceling open houses or requiring buyers to take off their shoes and use hand sanitizer before entering a home. However, only 4% had clients remove homes from the market because of coronavirus fears.

The same survey found that 21% of California Realtors reported a decrease in buyer interest because of the coronavirus, but 9% reported an increase.

People may think the Real Estate market is shut down. In fact, it is still thriving as new approaches are being developed.