Virtual property viewing

1. Why does a virtual property viewing make sense?

A virtual property viewing can serve several purposes: Firstly, it can be helpful as a complementary measure to traditional marketing. This would be the case if conventional property viewings take place in addition to the virtual property viewing. Secondly, a virtual property viewing can completely replace on-site visits. In any case, the option to view the property virtually is an effective and innovative marketing tool. 

Three good reasons why a virtual property viewing makes sense for owners:

Little time required

To create a virtual tour, the property only needs to be scanned once in advance by the real estate agent. This data is then used to create a digital image in which visitors can move around freely. This has the advantage that the property only has to be prepared, tidied up and decorated once for viewing. In the case of classic viewing appointments, on the other hand, owners must prepare the property before each visit. 

Larger target group

The virtual property viewing is available online at any time and from anywhere. This increases the potential target group and number of interested parties many times over. Especially investors and buyers from abroad get a detailed insight into the property through the virtual property viewing. A higher number of qualified prospective buyers makes a decisive contribution to bringing the house sale to a successful conclusion quickly. 

Less on-site visitors 

For owners who want to minimise the amount of foot traffic from viewings, it can make sense to have a digital tour of their property created.

2. How a virtual property viewing works

The virtual property viewing can be carried out with any internet-enabled device such as a smartphone, laptop or computer. If you want to immerse yourself completely in the property during the digital tour, you can also use virtual reality glasses. But even without VR equipment the 3D tour is an impressive experience. The virtual property viewing is simply an additional option included in the online exposé of your property.

3. Have Engel & Völkers create a virtual property viewing experience for you

In cooperation with the service provider Matterport, Engel & Völkers can provide owners with an impressive virtual image of the property for sale. This requires very little effort from you as the owner. All you need to do is clean and tidy up your property so that it looks the way you want it to appear on the internet. All other processes are handled by our real estate agents and the service provider Matterport. Get your personal 3D tour in three easy steps:

Scan the property

Our real estate agent scans all rooms of your property using a modern 360° camera. These images are subsequently used to create a detailed, three-dimensional image for the virtual property viewing. For a 120 square metre property, for example, this takes about 90 minutes. 

Create a virtual property viewing

The image data from the camera is processed by our cooperation partner Matterport and combined in such a way that a virtual walk-through of your property is created. This takes between one and five hours depending on the size of the property. 

Make the virtual tour available

Once it’s ready, our real estate agent will include the virtual tour of your property in the corresponding online exposé. From this point on interested parties can take the digital tour.

4. Perfect overview thanks to drone photos

Now perhaps you're wondering: what about the outdoor areas like my garden? We also offer you a modern and innovative solution for this.mWith the help of drone photos, we also create a bird's-eye view of your property and can thus present further impressive image and video material for your target group. In addition, hotspots in the vicinity, such as schools, public institutions and shops of daily use, can be linked so that interested parties can immediately get a good impression of the connectivity of your property.

Alternatives to 3D tours and drone photos

Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned variants, there are also other alternatives for visiting a property digitally from home. For example, our real estate agents can guide you through the desired property with the help of video telephony after making an appointment. Apps such as Skype, Google Hangouts or Facetime serve as a solution for this. Although this makes the virtual tour less interactive and spectacular, it does offer the opportunity to ask your real estate agent questions immediately. This is a particularly practical solution for spontaneous interested parties. Our experts will be happy to inform you about this.

5. Virtual property viewing checklist

The virtual property viewing offers almost everything that a personal on-site viewing appointment does. For this reason, the checklist of aspects that buyers should be aware of is similar to that of a classic property viewing. As an interested party, ask yourself the following questions during the virtual tour:

• Does the number and arrangement of the rooms match my requirements?

• Do features such as the ceiling height, the size of the windows or the layout of the rooms meet my expectations?

• What about the connectivity of the property?

• Are there enough parking spaces?

Of course, these are only some general questions. Define must-haves according to your requirements, which you can check during the virtual property viewing. 

6. Conclusion: Virtual or classic property viewing?

So, should owners completely abandon conventional property viewings in the future? Both types of property viewing have their own advantages. In order to achieve the greatest possible potential for success in marketing your property, we therefore generally recommend that you rely on both classic and virtual viewings. In the current time of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital property tours offer the ideal sales opportunity for owners. Let us advise you on this - we look forward to your inquiry!