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I've been seeing some ads for a company selling a [very pricey] 3D camera kit that will create 3D virtual tours for listings. Potential customers would basically enter a 3D shell on their computer screen and be able to navigate the property. Do you think something like this is necessary and/or useful for marketing your real estate listings? Part of me thinks they are a large step beyond the silly looking, fish-eye 360-degree tours that have been out there for a while. But would a 3D virtual tour be "too much" for a listing? Should pictures/video be enough to get folks in the door?
I've been seeing some ads for a company selling a [very pricey] 3D camera kit that will create 3D virtual tours for listings. Potential customers would basically enter a 3D shell on their computer screen and be able to navigate the property. Do you think something like this is necessary and/or useful for marketing your real estate listings? Part of me thinks they are a large step beyond the silly looking, fish-eye 360-degree tours that have been out there for a while. But would a 3D virtual tour be "too much" for a listing? Should pictures/video be enough to get folks in the door?
Other thoughts?
To some degree, I think it is a shtick, and is more about selling the listing service, to "Wow!" the sellers than it is to sell the house to buyers.
When it gets much more realistic, and more people have very high speed internet, maybe that thought will change.
A buyers' market may move the needle a little on that, so local circumstances are the gauge. In a sellers' market, it gets easier to get showings.
Virtual Reality headsets will be available to consumers this year. Maybe they're already out there. In any event, I'm sure that VR tours of real estate will eventually become part of the online shopping experience. Why not?
They already do something like that on car sites. For example, you click on "Interior" and then you can spin the picture around with your mouse. Not VR, but still, better than a regular picture.
I don't see the ROI for this yet. In our market, the cost for the 3D photography is at a minimum of $.50 per sq. foot, so for an average 3,000 square feet, that's $1,500 for photos and a virtual tour -- about a 500% increase over a typical photo shoot. Not worth it now in a sellers market, when often homes sell before we get the professional pictures back from the photographer, but as MikeJaquish mentioned, it may have uses in a buyer's market.
I'd say it might be worth it for the real high-end priced houses.
Then again, IF some agents would only take better, clearer, and MORE photos, (I like to see at least 20-25) that makes all the difference right there IMO. I'm always suspicious of houses and have very few photos, and/or some that are out of focus. Every time my wife and I have looked at houses such as this in person (we used to buy, rehab, and resell) it turns out the agent WAS in fact hiding up front deal killers.
Why be sneaky about it? FULL DISCLOSURE is the only way to go, that includes photos that show the bad with the good. There's always a buyer at the proper price, regardless of "how bad" a place may be.
I'd say it might be worth it for the real high-end priced houses.
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And even then, maybe not. We have a house that we are marketing that is almost 14,000 sf. No way I am spending $7,000 for a 3D view. I want people IN the house to experience the ambiance, the soaring ceilings, the beautiful trim, the fabulous gardens, the luxurious baths -- I don't want a cold 3D tour. There's a video tour, and a website with about 100 photos. 3D would be kinda cool, but overkill - it's not going to bring in a buyer on it's own.
I love doing 3D tours on my listings and both buyers and sellers love it. It shows the house so well, you actually get less showings in person since people have already virtually walked through the home (without having to bother the seller). I use the tours to take screen captures for my listing photos so I am not having to pay for a second photographer.
As far as Virtual Reality goggles, we aren't quite ready for them in real estate yet. I have had the GearVR headset for over a year that attaches to my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 for the computer & screen. For now, to take a 3D tour that I have already shot rendered into a VR format would run about another $500. Since I am the only person I know with the headset, it doesn't make sense to do it for a single listing at a time. For a major project, or condos etc., it might still make sense.
Very cool 3D tour IdahoBroker! Sure beats bad pics. My all-time favorite are pics of the corner of a small bedroom where you only see the corner and a little bit of the window. Ugh!
I love doing 3D tours on my listings and both buyers and sellers love it. It shows the house so well, you actually get less showings in person since people have already virtually walked through the home (without having to bother the seller). I use the tours to take screen captures for my listing photos so I am not having to pay for a second photographer.
As far as Virtual Reality goggles, we aren't quite ready for them in real estate yet. I have had the GearVR headset for over a year that attaches to my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 for the computer & screen. For now, to take a 3D tour that I have already shot rendered into a VR format would run about another $500. Since I am the only person I know with the headset, it doesn't make sense to do it for a single listing at a time. For a major project, or condos etc., it might still make sense.
I had to change browsers on my tablet to view the 3D tour. It took much too long to navigate through the entire house (in fact, I gave up after awhile ). It dudnt appeal to me at all.
(PS I can't believe these sellers allowed photos to be taken with the multiple dog beds, all that crap in the office, and the upstairs bedroom looking like a pig sty.
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