Travel, tourism and real estate sales experienced a coronavirus paralysis. We can't/couldn't physically go anywhere.  Technology is allowing us to 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 - 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. It is distinguished from the use of live television to affect tele-tourism. Wikipedia   

The virtual exploration of a home is now paramount.  "More real estate pros are taking their home showings to the virtual realm as concerns increase over the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S." Daily News, March, 2020. Buyers are touring homes thru various forms of virtual means.  As an alternative to in-person showings, more agents are turning to virtual tours. A REALTOR®
who supplies virtual tours can continue to service Buyers and Sellers by showing homes, answering questions, creating a 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 more accurate feel for how the home flows, the front door, the elevations, the front - side - back yard; how you enter and leave each room, the location of the bathrooms, 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 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 with promoting 3D tours for real estate agents and for builders as a new construction resource.  

For ideas and inspiration: check out this tour on 201 Muirkirk Lane and other LINKs examples of 3D tours 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 (all during the Pandemic).  So I encourage you to go get your cell phone, a 360 camera, maybe even a Go-Pro and create a video! Don't spend a fortune on any one app - just have fun, create content and put it out there!

 If you would like some assistance creating one - please reach out and contact me:  Pam Jensen Photography; www.PamIsPinehurst.com and Pam Jensen, Realty World - Properties of the Pines, NC REALTOR® and Real Estate Broker; License 226727. 

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/