In-person interactions and onsite tours are a huge part of the process of buying and selling homes. But in the era of the coronavirus, it's about staying home and taking preventative measures for decreasing the risk of the virus. It's not clear how long the social distancing mandates will stay in place, but so much like all interactions in this time, home selling and buying is moving online.

If you're selling your home this spring, you can rely on virtual tours to show the house to all of your potential buyers at once without them having to be physically present. Our REALTORS® have experience in staging virtual tours and can give you tips to get your home ready to create that oh-so-important first impression.

Virtual Tours for Real Estate

A virtual tour is an interactive tool that gives a 360° image of the interior and exterior of a building. It's created by stitching together a sequence of 360 photos to form a completely immersive visual experience for viewers. 

A virtual tour can also take place via a video chat app such as Google Duo, Zoom, or WhatsApp. In this scenario, the interested buyer requests a tour time online, and the agent uses the buyer's preferred app to show the home in real time.

Virtual Tour Preparedness Checklist

Keep in mind that a virtual tour will be similar to a live open house, but a camera can capture more than the eye can see. Make sure that the entire area is prepped ahead of the day you plan on recording the tour.

Outdoors

• Spruce up your garden and lawn. Trim dead limbs and shrubbery around the home if necessary and remove empty planters
• Mow the lawn and weed the garden. Make sure the entryway and driveway are free of clutter
• Remove cars from the driveway and park them away from the property
• Place trash cans, hockey nets, bikes, toys, boats, basketball poles, trailers, garden tools and supplies, and other distractions out of sight
• Sweep walkways and pick up sticks, leaves, and branches
• Make sure your yard and patio neat and straighten up any outdoor furniture and items
• Clean pool area and remove all hoses

Living/Common Areas

• Clean the rooms from top to bottom
• Remove personal items, family photos, and religious artifacts
• Open shades and blinds and make sure they are equally angled open
• Move excess furniture out of rooms and re-arrange remaining furniture to make the room appear larger
• Make sure the house is spotless by removing clutter, vacuuming the carpet, cleaning countertops, tidying up shelves, moping hard floors, and cleaning windows
• Put away toys, pet bowls, beds, etc.

Kitchen

• Clear off the kitchen counter
• Stow small appliances and everyday items like toasters, kitchen utensils, soaps, cleaning items, dish towels, sponges, etc.
• Empty the garbage can
• Put away draining rack
• Clear the sink of dishes
• Store food in cabinets
• Remove magnets and other items from the refrigerator door
• Organize items on open shelves

Bathrooms

• Ensure the bathroom is clean- mirrors, floors, counters, toilet, and all surfaces
• Ensure toilet seat is down
• Remove floor mats
• Remove all items from shower and tub
• Clear counters of toiletries and store away essential items used daily
• Hang fresh towels neatly

Bedrooms

• Make all beds
• Keep end tables and all surfaces free of clutter
• Arrange decorative pillows
• Replace linens with modern, clean, crisp linens
• Put away shoes and clothing

Putting in the extra effort to prepare and stage your house for a virtual tour will produce better images and hopefully create a faster sale. Consider working with the team at Coach Realtors to ensure that the tour shows off your home in its finest characteristics. Contact us to get started.