Travel, tourism and real estate sales experienced a Coronavirus paralysis during the spring of 2020. We can't/couldn't physically go anywhere but with technology we can visit almost any place in the world at any time of day. The Internet is our window to the world and virtually we are free to fly.   Google Arts & Culture has teamed up with museums and galleries to continue to share a little culture and education while we are/were in confinement. Over 2500 museums and galleries from around the world are bringing virtual tours and online exhibits to everyone and anyone.  A virtual tour - in case you have never done one - is a visual simulation of an existing location. It can be composed of a sequence of videos, still images, taken by phones, 360 cameras, drones, etc. It may also use other multimedia elements such as sound effects, music, narration, and text. You don't need any special equipment to view it although there are great gadgets out there to enhance the experience. Wikipedia   Virtual tours offer home buyers a remote, video-enabled walk-through of a property that will give them the sensation that they're actually there—or at least darn close.

The virtual exploration of a home is now paramount. Real estate pros are taking their home showings to the virtual realm to address concerns focused on how long the paralysed from the coronavirus outbreak will last. Daily News, March, 2020. Virtual tours are recommended by the National Association of Realtors® as a way to avoid face-to-face contact while marketing homes during the coronavirus crisis.  Buyers are touring homes thru various forms of virtual means and as an alternative to in-person showings.  More agents are turning to virtual tours to keep showings happening. A REALTOR®
who supplies virtual tours can continue to work, servicing Buyers and Sellers by showing homes, answering questions, creating relationships, providing services and selling homes. 

Open houses have been curtailed. The new  "Open House" is a virtual explorative and an interactive walk thru.  A virtual tour allows a feel for how the home flows, the front door location, the elevations, the front - side - back yard; how you enter and leave each room, the location of the bathrooms in relationship to the bedrooms, and so much more. Real estate professionals who can create virtual tours with rich visual content can continue "to show" listings to anyone, anywhere in the world. 

Virtual tours, professional photography, great descriptive narratives and write ups with informative content are keeping my real estate business on track.
360 tours are a must have for every one of my listings.  They are not just an upgrade for "luxury listings" anymore.  Personally, I use a 360 camera by Ricoh. The 360° images are good.  The process is fast. It loads to my cell phone and I edit it with the app that came with the camera. Zillow has done an exceptional job promoting and hosting 3D tours for real estate listings.  This is where not all tours are equal.  Many tours are exceptional in quality. However, not all are able to be loaded into MLS or onto 3rd party real estate feed sites.  

For ideas and inspiration: check out this tour on 201 Muirkirk Lane and 4 Oakmont Circle.  Additional examples of Real Estate VIrtual Tours and 3D tours can be found here and on my photography website (www.PamJensenPhotography.com). These actual listings (by Realty World - Properties of the Pines) are getting numerous showings, have gone under contract, have or are about to go to closing.  I encourage you to go get your cell phone, a 360 camera, maybe even a Go-Pro and create a video! I don't think any one product is the end all or the perfect virtual game changer. The cameras and apps all have pro's and con's.  I suggest shop wisely or hire a professional and test out what/who is the most user friendly and meets your needs.  

 If you would like some assistance creating a virtual tour - please reach out and contact me here:  Pam Jensen Photography; www.PamIsPinehurst.com and Pam Jensen, Realty World - Properties of the Pines, NC REALTOR® and Real Estate Broker; License #226727.  Pinehurst - Southern Pines is my market area - so if you are nearby - stop in and we can create a tour together.   

Please, comment below on your experience and suggestions with virtual tours.

Re-Source and information: 

“Home Selling in the Age of Coronavirus: It’s a Whole Different World,” realtor.com® (March 12, 2020)

https://www.zillow.com/resources/new-construction/what-buyers-want-from-builders-infographic/