Virtual Home Tours: How To Increase The Screen Appeal Of Your Home

Virtual home tours were a novelty before 2020, but with the rise of the pandemic, virtual home tours have not only become the norm, but an essential part of the process for both buyers and sellers. 

As with an in-person home tour, a virtual home tour needs to be well-planned, well-staged, and should entice buyers to want to move in. We’ve got five tips to help you increase the screen appeal of your home. 

1. Declutter, Organize, And Deep Clean Your Home

Decluttering, organizing, and cleaning your home is the first step of getting your house on the market, virtual home tour or no virtual home tour. Aggressive decluttering is always the first step to preparing your home for virtual or in-person showings. That means putting away your kid’s toys, pet paraphernalia, stacks of papers, personal pictures in frames, taking everything off of the refrigerator, and clearing counters and surfaces of clutter. Your goal isn’t to erase your home of all personality, but you want it to feel neutral so potential buyers can envision themselves living in the space.

A squeaky-clean house is a top factor in providing homebuyers with as much value as possible. A clean house makes a great impression, from clean windows to polished floors – even on a screen. 

2. Plan Your Route Before The House Tour

Always start at the front door, and plan your route from there. Virtual tours are not something you want to do off the cuff. Planning and running through the tour a few times before filming will give you an idea of how the finished product will look. Planning your virtual home tour will give you a clear picture of what you want. It will eliminate tripping hazards, bad angles, poor lighting, and the other tips in this article to give you the cleanest, most professional finished product. 

An excellent real estate agent is the secret weapon to a fantastic virtual home tour. A great REALTOR® has access to other professionals who can film, edit, and upload your virtual home floor. 

3. A Virtual Home Tour Should Be Well-Staged

If your current home is vacant, you have a few options to choose from: 

• Leave the house empty, but remember that staged homes sell quicker.
• Use a staging company that can create a desirable space pleasing to a buyer’s eye that shows them the property’s potential.
• Virtual staging is another option that allows you to add digital furnishings that look very attractive and realistic. However, this is only an option if your virtual home tour is in a slide show rather than a walkthrough video format.

Consider the layout. You may love the arrangement of your rooms, but they may not look best on screen. Make sure to take test photos to see if the current placement photographs well. If you’re still living in the home, make sure to hire a REALTOR® with staging experience who can help you maximize the effect of your current furnishings. 

4. Be Aware Of The Best Time Of Day To Shoot

When the most natural light fills your home, it’s not the best time to shoot. Too much light might make photos look over-exposed. The “golden hour” is every photographer’s favorite time to shoot. The golden hour is right before sundown when the light is warm, glowy, and golden, offering you the best quality. Shooting at the right time of day allows you to maximize the lighting within your home, giving viewers a better idea of what living in the house will look like. 

5. Maximize The Lighting In Your Home

Open blinds, curtains, and shades, and turn on every light in the house throughout your entire home to eliminate shadows and showcase your home in the best light. Replace all the lightbulbs so that lighting is uniform throughout the space. Create bright rooms that come across beautifully on camera. There is a perfect balance of lighting that you can achieve to give you an excellent finished product.

6. Be Mindful Of Mirrors And Reflections

Not just your reflection, but the camera’s reflection can show up in a mirror, so if you have mirrors hanging throughout your home, do your best to take the image without showing the camera in the mirror. Also, be aware of reflections in windows and other reflective surfaces.

7. Choose An Experienced REALTOR®

Virtual showings are usually a new experience for homeowners, and potential buyers, so involving an expert to guide you through the process is of the utmost importance. 

Living Houston Produces Virtual Home Tours

Selling your home is a personal experience that is often accompanied by many different emotions. It can also be stressful for homeowners and having an experienced REALTOR® can relieve some of that stress. Partnering with an agent who excels at staging and prepping a home and photography, videography, and marketing offers you greater peace of mind and a quicker sale of your home. If you have any questions about virtual home tours, contact Living Houston.