Just as with every marketing tool, opinions on the effectiveness of real estate virtual tours are divided. While some believe that a great virtual tour still does more to attract potential buyers and increase visibility for a listing than more traditional real estate marketing strategies, others suspect the virtual tour has started to lose ground with property buyers.

Opponents of real estate virtual tours often claim they’re a waste of time, and that good quality photos of a property will work just as well—and further, it all gets lost in the sea of digital noise that the Internet has become, anyway. The demise of the real estate virtual tour has been argued across blogs and forums frequently, with no real conclusions drawn.

The good news is that virtual tours do remain powerful marketing tools for real estate. In fact, the virtual tour format is more suited to the current audience than ever.

Real estate virtual tours: Effectiveness by the numbers

Several studies have compiled statistics on the popularity and effectiveness of virtual tours, and the results are encouraging. A few examples include:

•    More than 50% of adult Internet users depend on virtual tours for research on a regular basis, according to a Clickz Stats study

•    84% of first-time home buyers and 79% of repeat buyers search for a home on the Internet, according to a National Association of Realtors (NAR) study

•    Realtor.com statistics report that listings with virtual tours receive 87% more views than listings without tours (including those with still photos alone), and that 54% of buyers who use the site will not look at properties that don’t include virtual tours

Virtual tours make a property stand out among online listings. Home buyers, especially those relocating a considerable distance, prefer the convenience of an available virtual tour that allows them to experience a property without making extra visits—and in many cases, prompts them to schedule a showing.

Tips for successful virtual tours

The effectiveness of a real estate virtual tour depends largely on the quality of the tour itself. Stunning, high definition virtual tours that offer great images and video of the property, along with additional details such as floor plans, MLS data, and links to further resources, provide an immersive experience for property buyers. Great virtual tours will engage viewers further with features like background music, narration, 360-degree interactive panoramic images, and more.

RTV’s powerful virtual tour software makes it easy to create these fully featured virtual tours for your real estate property. Use still images, HD panoramic images, and even full motion video in your productions.  Have it your way, as they say!!

 Team RTV
Virtual Tour Software & Digital Marketing Training
Order a virtual tour – 866-947-8687