“Our video tour numbers were up 933% in April, 2020”
– Sotheby’s International Realty
Yup. This caught my attention too
Over the past two decades, giving online real estate shoppers more information has been a high priority for companies eager to find the next big thing. But the problem facing videos was poor image quality or platforms that weren’t up to par. A sub-optimal user experience.
The first time I used a 360 virtual tour on a listing was 2001. A foggy memory now, but I remember the company used a fish-eye camera that would spin to capture each shot. It really was cool, but not very practical since most people still had 28.8k baud dial-up service over AOL!
Again, a sub-optimal user experience.
The real shift is online home tours
BOOM! March 2020 – the big lifestyle shift happened and everyone is spending much more time at home, Zoom has become the new Kleenex, and Netflix has been making a killing. We are online, online, and online.
Realistically, I think we can agree that this behavior will last far beyond the day when we are all vaccinated… consumer video usage literally jumped ahead five years in just five weeks.
We are now addicted to watching video. And for anyone remotely interested in real estate, luxury home videos are high octane content.
In a Zoom meeting this week, the director of digital marketing from Sotheby’s International Realty mentioned staggering numbers from the global YouTube channel. Browse through because it is interesting.
Is the Vienna real estate market ready?
Quick answer for buyers: Yes!
Quick answer for sellers: No.
Since I have been tinkering with video technology for years, when a client said he had to sell his home in Vienna, I knew adding video would be a key piece or social media hook since everyone had been told not to make unessential trips from home.
As always, I hired my professional real estate photographer. Let’s be honest, with literally every wedding and event canceled around Washington, D.C. metro area, there are plenty of experienced videographers who can shoot and professionally edit these short tours (stories).
Now, this Vienna home was sold (May 2020) but it does give you a good feel in a realistic, non-fish-eye way.
Another way of giving online home shoppers a tour is using a 3-D virtual tour using a technology that scans the entire interior. If you haven’t seen it, then take a look at this tour of a listing I have in Annandale.
Although it is a different experience, it does give anyone searching from their current home in [insert city here] for a new home here, an opportunity to linger, explore, matching it their lifestyle.
Going to a bunch of open houses on a Sunday is so January 2020… an open house simply isn’t in the cards right now.
Take a look at this Matterport Tour now. FYI: It will open a new window.
Home Search from My Home
Home sellers need to be ready to meet today’s home buyers virtually, through a smart, well planned virtual strategy like the plan I just hustled through.
Unfortunately, human attention spans aren’t what they used to be… and that is one of the key takeaways here.
These innovations will be changing rapidly and I plan to stay engaged. Check out that Sotheby’s YouTube Channel and let me know – cheers!
