Five Ways to Get the Most from Virtual Tours

Real estate's traditional touchpoints are helpful when buying a house, but most people want to avoid all of the face-to-face contact in today's world. To continue offering excellent service, more real estate pros are introducing virtual tours.

A virtual tour provides you with the opportunity to walk through a home using streaming video. Because of its crisp, live visuals and high interactivity, it's a step up from a static "tour" that uses property photos to create a panoramic view of a home's interiors.

Touted as "the next best thing to being there," a virtual tour can actually be better than an in-person walkthrough in some surprising ways. And yes, it is a tremendous asset when you're buying a house!

Here's how to make the most of a virtual tour for your decision-making:

1. Choose a Live Tour Over a Recorded One
   While a recorded tour could be accessed any time, you don't want to miss out on the opportunity to go live. Your real estate agent should be prepared to walk through the property and give you details on all it has to offer, just as you would expect from a typical tour or open house.
2. Ask Questions and Make Requests
   A live virtual tour also has the benefit of being interactive. Don't hesitate to ask questions. Keep an eye on the action at all times so you can get clarifications: For example, asking your agent to zoom in on a particular area so you can get a closer look.
3. Take Your Time
   Without travel time to consider, a virtual tour can be much faster than an ordinary one. Still, you want to take as much time as you need, since setting up a second tour might be a hassle. Block off about 90 minutes to explore a single-family home, even though you might take only an hour.
4. Review the Instant Replay
   Every virtual tour creates a "permanent record" – the video your real estate agent is taking. Be sure to ask him or her to send you the video so you can review and digest, potentially spotting things you didn't notice before. It's wise to bring this up early so your agent doesn't delete the file by accident.
5. Take the Chance to See More Properties
   As you're buying a house, you're bound to run into more than one property you find enticing. Use the time you save to compare more homes. Even if you don't see anything else that catches your eye, you'll be able to go forward with confidence knowing you did your research.

What's the key to success? Don't overlook the value of a virtual tour – but be sure you get the information you need from the experience. Buying a house is one of the biggest decisions you'll ever make, and a good virtual tour can help you get there faster.

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