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Why Virtual Tours are a Must for Rental Property Owners

East Brunswick Property Manager Creating a Virtual Tour VideoAs an East Brunswick rental property owner, you understand that marketing is essential for attracting qualified renters. And if you haven’t tried virtual tours yet, you’re missing out! By offering potential tenants to conduct a virtual tour of your rental properties, you can show them what they’re receiving before they even walk through the door. In this article, we’ll outline the advantages of employing virtual tours for your rental property marketing and discuss why every rental property owner should be using them.

Virtual Tour Basics

By definition, a virtual tour is a digitally rendered walk-through of a rental property. Virtual tours can provide an in-depth look into each room of a property, unlike photographs, which portray the property based on the photographer’s point of view. Virtual tours can also allow potential renters to measure areas and spaces of the home and even digitally assemble their furnishings to see how they would fit.

Recent studies reveal that renters prefer virtual tours of rental properties. According to results compiled by Zumper, over 70% of renters indicate that they are eager to rent an apartment without seeing it in person if they can view it through a 3D virtual tour.

Types of Virtual Tours

Virtual tours are an immersive way for prospective tenants to see your rental properties. They permit potential renters to get a feel for the space and decide if it meets their needs without having to visit the property physically.

There are three major types of virtual tours: a 360 virtual tour, a 3D virtual tour, and a virtual reality tour.

  1. 360 Virtual Tour. A 360 virtual tour is a single panoramic image combined together from various photographs. These tours permit future tenants to view an entire room in one image, then click and drag to look around. 360 virtual tours are convenient and relatively low-cost to create, making them a good option for East Brunswick property managers just starting with virtual tours.
  2. 3D Virtual Tour. A more immersive alternative than a 360 virtual tour, a three-dimensional (or “true”) virtual tour permits future tenants to walk through the property as if they were there. Various photographs of a rental property are taken and then sewn together using special software to create these tours. Due to the time and effort required to create them, high-end rental properties usually only use three-dimensional virtual tours.
  3. Virtual Reality Tour. The newest and most immersive type of virtual tour is the virtual reality (VR) tour. These tours allow potential tenants to put on a VR headset and explore the property as if they were walking through it. While VR tours are still relatively rare, they are becoming more and more popular as VR technology becomes more accessible.

What are the benefits of virtual tours?

  • Convenience. Probably the best concept of virtual tours is how convenient they are. Possible tenants can tour your rental properties without needing to leave their homes or work schedules. This is highly helpful for out-of-state or international renters who might have trouble organizing a time to tour the property physically.
  • 24/Hour Availability. Virtual tours are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This signifies potential tenants can tour your rental properties on their own schedule, independent of your availability.
  • Increased Engagement. Virtual tours are also proven to increase engagement. A study by Inman News reveals that properties with virtual tours receive, on average, 42% more website views than those without virtual tours.
  • Improved SEO. On top of improved engagement, virtual tours can also enhance your rental property’s SEO. Google prefers new content, and adding a virtual tour to your property listing is an amazing way to provide new content and improve your ranking in search results.

How to Optimize Your Virtual Tours

Quality Matters. It is advisable to use high-quality images and videos and don’t use low-resolution or blurry photos. You want potential tenants to have a clear sense of your rental properties, so be sure to use quality virtual tour content.

Include a Call to Action. You must include a call to action (CTA) at the end of your virtual tour. A CTA is a statement or button that urges prospective tenants to take the next step, like scheduling a showing or contacting you for more information. By putting a CTA, potential tenants are more likely to rent from you.

 

Virtual tours are an excellent method to give potential tenants a feel for your rental properties without requiring them to physically visit the property. Now is the best time to start if you’re not currently using virtual tours in your rental property marketing. Ready to learn more about how to implement virtual tours into your rental property marketing? Contact us online today!

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