Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Risks and Benefits of Using 3D Home Tours

3D home tours let potential buyers tour a property without physically being there, rather than just looking at a set of still images. For the first time, buyers can take a 3D tour of potential homes without ever setting foot on the property. When this new 3D technology was first available it was groundbreaking, but the technology is currently only in use by a tiny fraction of realtors.

At a glance, it could make a lot of sense to create a virtual tour, but as with any new technology, you have to look at it from all angles to evaluate potential risks. Here are some of the pros and cons of using 3D home tours.

Pros:

1. Immersion

Having the ability to get a good look at each room with a 3D tour can be far more immersive than photographs or videos. A 3D tour can help many potential buyers get a better look at the property than they could with any other form of media. This is one of the biggest advantages of using 3D home tours.

2. Long distance tours

If a buyer is located overseas, or it's inconvenient for them to visit the property themselves, a 3D tour would be perfect for them. If used in conjunction with photos and videos, they allow potential buyers to get a really good look at the property in a simple and convenient manner, without ever having to travel to the property themselves.

3. Staying up to date with trends

3D home tours are only now becoming popular in mainstream media, and they haven't been around for very long. In a market where many lag behind current trends, adding 3D home tours into their business strategy would make any real estate business stand out, giving them a competitive edge on everyone else.

Cons:

1. High Cost

As with all business choices, balancing the cost versus the benefits is extremely important. The cost to create a virtual tour can often be extremely expensive. For many, the cost might simply be too high to justify creating a 3D home tour for the property.

2. Less control than photographs

While far more immersive than photographs, letting potential clients pan and zoom around the house can also have its disadvantages. Even the greatest photo stitching programs can still distort the picture, or produce unwanted artifacts. And if the tour is poorly laid out, buyers could easily get the wrong impression of the property. While uncommon with high-quality 3D tours, these problems should always be considered.

Conclusion

Is it realistic for a business to incorporate 3D home tours into their marketing plan? For high-end properties, a virtual tour can be well worth the high price. However, while the advantages for real estate industry are clear, it may not be a good fit in some cases. There can be cases where photographs or video tours would be more appropriate, and low-end properties may not be worth enough to justify the high expense of creating a virtual tour.
 

While in many cases, the benefits of 3D home tours far outweigh the risks, in some cases the high cost involved may not be worth the trouble.



Author Bio:
Written by Sally, a full-time worker at a specialized training center for business development. She is lucky enough to work with many aspiring entrepreneurs. She loves to read, write, and learn to use technology as her learning tools.