Virtual tours are an excellent option for real estate agents to show a property to potential buyers from the comfort of their own home. However, they are more than just a feature; they are actually a solution. Why are virtual tours such a revolutionary tool to help real estate agents sell properties?

Well, first of all, there is nothing more appealing than a virtual tour. Potential buyers invest more than two-thirds of their time searching the internet before deciding to buy or rent a property. By providing them with more information quickly and without leaving their homes, they can make a more informed decision, and agents can assess their levels of interest.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a virtual tour is worth a million.

1. 360-degree virtual tours benefit the agent by saving them money, time, and a lot of hassle.

They are designed to be a first visit, so the purpose is not to eliminate in-person visits, but simply to ensure that these second physical visits are justified.

By streamlining the search time and reducing the number of properties to visit, buyers will only plan visits for those in which they are most interested. This also frees the agent from a potential of up to eight hours per client, which can result in a significant increase in efficiency in other urgent tasks, in exchange for increased productivity.

2. Real estate agencies are much more likely to gain clients by impressing homeowners with their virtual tours added to their website.

It substantially increases the value of their website, as an agency that distinguishes itself from the competition by offering this new dimension of services is one that will see an improved perception of their brand by both buyers and sellers. With other agencies being slower to acquire this technology, you would be ahead of your competition. Virtual tours are currently a huge advantage. Essentially, there is no reason why an owner would not want their property to be seen by the largest audience possible.

Real estate agents can now eliminate visits in which their client has to come to see the property without intending to buy it. 80% of first visits do not lead to a second. And so, this progressive method of doing the first visit with an interactive virtual tour, not only gives the agent more clues because it is innovative and exciting for buyers, but also gives agents more time to follow up on those clues.

3. Virtual tours also benefit the buyer. Those who have become interested in a property after a 360-degree virtual tour claim that the accuracy with which spaces are represented in 3D is extremely satisfying.

Foreign clients, for example, no longer have to make long trips to visit properties they have only seen in photos. With 360-degree virtual tours, they can now experience representations of the properties you are marketing in a more immersive and real way, without leaving their homes.

Research by real estate agents shows that 75% of potential property buyers interviewed stated that they preferred interactive virtual tours to normal photographs and that these tours influenced their purchase decision.

With the 3D virtual tours offered by Gekkota, you can customize your virtual tour by adding mattertags that offer more information to the client about specific areas of the property. The tours can be shown entirely online, without having to download any information or files and can be easily shared even via WhatsApp. As they are fully responsive, they can be viewed on mobile and tablet, and the real estate agency can easily include them on their website through an iframe.

4. Virtual tours are a great benefit for people with restricted mobility or other issues that make it difficult to view properties in person.

Visiting numerous properties when looking for a new home is a long and exhausting process for everyone, and even more so for those with disabilities or special needs. An individual can now experience a potential home without having to travel to it, until they are convinced that it is a property they are interested in. Virtual tours also help these types of clients determine the accessibility of the property and therefore decide whether it will meet their needs. Obviously, this will also benefit the real estate agent because the ability of buyers to view a property remotely expands the pool of buyers who may be interested in each property.

5. And finally, let's not discount the fact that sellers also benefit from virtual tours.

They will have fewer disruptions and alterations to their normal routine, as fewer buyers will see their property in person. Now buyers can have a first visit online first. When deciding who to sell their house to, this is going to be an important factor for the seller, as not only does the addition of virtual tours lead to a more specialized view of their properties, but these virtual tours also increase the likelihood of a faster sale, due to increased buyer interest.

The property will also be tidy and clean 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, ready to be viewed by potential buyers, and the buyer can see the inside and outside of the property in daylight during a virtual tour, regardless of the actual time of day. Otherwise, they could not do this easily, with work schedules and other commitments. Statistically, 60% of visits are made in the evenings and on weekends. Now buyers will not lose as much free time, or have to view the property in the dark when they would have to come back in daylight anyway.