The reasons why people have to buy or sell is still the same now as it was before the COVID-19 virus hit but the process has changed. Perhaps a buyer bought earlier this year and now needs to sell, or a seller sold their home within the last 60 days and now needs to buy.

Flattening the curve, however, means that there are no more open houses, no or limited in-person showings and definitely no sealing the deal with a handshake. Here are four creative and technologically advanced ways to showcase a home.

Virtual tours:

There are a few ways to go about taking a prospect through a virtual tour or “visit” of a home. These high-quality virtual walk-through videos start outside the home and go through each room in the home. Here’s an example, created by Tyso Media.

HDR photography:

High-dynamic range photography allows for high exposure and different light ranges to be compressed into one photo. HDR cameras capture homes the way they are meant to be seen by the human eye – it will brighten the shade or darken the exposure as a means to produce a high-quality and premium photo. Realtors can use HDR photos to increase the quality of the photography they are putting out for prospects to see.

Panoramas:

Panoramas are interactive photos or presentations of a room or space in 360 degrees. These photos are shot in a series and produced by stitching them together using specific software. These 360 degree panoramic presentations provide the viewer with a full and comprehensive view of the room or space, which amplifies and augments exposure.

Here is an example created by 360 Home Photography.

Matterport or Dollhouse 3D Tours:

This is the latest and greatest in 3D home mapping technology. Matterport is a 3D camera system that is used to scan the home or property and creates a fully immersive walk-through experience where users can navigate themselves through the home. It creates the most realistic virtual environment that will make the prospective buyer feel as though they are really within the home.

The space can be viewed interactively and from any angle. The Matterport Tour allows the viewer to see the space in the most in-depth way without having to be there physically. The zoomed-out dollhouse view provides a 3D view of the property from the outside. You can rotate, get a bird’s eye view of the space looking down from above or zoom into any room and walk through the space. 

Here’s an example created by ImaginaHome. The icons on the bottom (from left to right) allow you to play the tour in full, view the dollhouse, view the floorplan or view in measurement mode.

Without showings, Realtors who have listings are pivoting their processes to include producing higher-quality virtual options for prospective buyers. Consider these options in place of traditional open houses and showings.