T
he real estate industry has also been poorly impacted following social distancing norms. Most in-person house showings are cancelled, and others are discouraged from being held. The best way to limit the exposure while successfully marketing your client’s home is through a virtual open house.
Remote events are essential for any real estate agent to stay ahead in 2020 and beyond. It allows buyers to walk through a house digitally they intend to sell. Its advantages are far too many to be ignored today.
Benefits of hosting virtual open houses
Virtual open houses are becoming an attractive option for real estate agents and sellers to attract more buyers and close deals faster. Let us look at the benefits of virtual showings when you transform your real estate business virtual.
Wider exposure: Plan a virtual open house and spread the news through different social media channels. It will reach more prospective buyers, and they may connect from the convenience of their homes. More buyers will help raise the demand and consequently, better ROI.
Attract buyers from far and wide: Virtual venues are not limited to buyers in town. The virtual open house is accessible to people around the world. It may captivate different client groups and even international buyers, as they save the hassle and cost of travel.
Brand building: If you want to improve brand recognition, be more competent than your competitors, then you must adapt to the new normal of organising virtual home tours.
Read: How to use Airmeet for your brand’s digital marketing
Fewer employees required: With virtual settings, you require lesser staff, as there is no requirement to take clients to the house individually. Instead, the viewing, communication, negotiation can all be done online, unless it is on the final stage.
No hassle for people residing: Be it, tenant or owners, no one likes the hassle of visitors intervening in their life during house visits. Virtual events offer a convenient way to show, market, and sell homes by recording the video once and utilising it again and again. It is critical for the privacy and safety of people residing.
Narrow down the search: With virtual videos, a buyer can narrow down the search and not have to go for those properties which are not of their interest. Drone footage can give a pretty good picture of the house and amenities.
Virtual house tours also eliminate non-serious buyers as they are more targeted.
How to create a virtual open house with Airmeet
Top real estate agents are implementing virtual showings for quite some time, but if you’re still new to this process, read through the process of hosting successful virtual open houses.
1. Make real-time audience engagement
If your virtual open house is hosted in real-time, it will engage potential buyers better. Airmeet humanises the whole virtual showcasing process with its immersive interactive features.
That is as close it gets to physical tours and allows you to focus on home’s layout and property’s best features.
At the end of the session, give time for the questions and comments posted by the prospects.
Pro tip: You can have a meeting moderator or your team member post a question or two. It will encourage more questions and engagement from the audience. Also, through your planted question, you can focus on the property feature that you want to highlight or is a common concern.
2. Prepare and promote your virtual open house ahead of time
Promote your virtual open house like you would traditionally do, to spread awareness and generate leads. If you are an individual seller, post and promote through your agent, send emails to prospective buyers, and through social media platforms. Give a timeline for the virtual open house and build interest with details about the property.
Also use the time before the big day to plan and prepare the tour. List down the features and viewpoints you want to highlight. Note the obstacles that you want to avoid. Take time to practice to avoid any setbacks on the day of the event.
Airmeet allows you to run guided mock trials so that you are prepared with the tech better. Testing your camera and mic would also ensure that you know the light settings you would need in different areas to show your property best.
3. Tech with HD quality audio/video and live-streaming
A prospective buyer would not want to miss any finer detail, before converting into a lead. So utilise the HD quality of audio/video with Airmeet and prepare a detailed show, as you take viewers for the virtual tour. You can also pre-record impressive videos and play it during the event to engage users better.
While you show the property, you can also share your screen, and switch back to the standard screen for interaction. It can help you to showcase the property plans and contracts that you might want to include showcasing in the event.
You can also live-stream your event to social media channels like Youtube and Facebook for better reach.
Pro tip: You can leverage professional drone video shoot to provide stunning aerial views of your property.
4. Provide detailed information
The property tour should begin from outside, and guide viewers to the entrance, then proceeding into each room and ending up with the outdoor spaces, if any. Also showcase the wardrobes, closet space, upgrades, and added appliances. Don’t forget to show the view from the balcony, deck, or windows. Then talk about the locality, amenities, and other highlights.
In the end, you can open the event for casual conversations through the social lounge so that you can talk face-to-face with interested buyers and gather feedback.
Read: How to organise an engaging Webinar on Airmeet in 10 simple steps
5. Create a custom lead follow-up strategy
The best expert tip for a successful virtual open house is to follow up proactively to everyone who tuned in, commented and took an interest.
We suggest phone calls or texts are more effective than an email that may get lost. But before you call, complete your homework, so that you have all the answers and even alternatives. This way, you can address the queries raised during the open house event.
But for those who did not raise any query, you may want to share a quick follow-up script thanking them for attending, followed by a poll or survey, asking questions like what did you like most about the house?” or What did you like least?” You may share some recorded videos of amenities or other areas that could not be covered in detail during the presentation.
When you feel they are not as interested and have a specific requirement, negotiate to keep the best interest of both in mind. As a house agent or a seller, you need to be agile, persuasive, and to the point.
Read: Easy ways to boost attendee engagement at online events
A well-planned and executed open house can be the key to unlocking a sale. Explore a virtual venue filled with rich interactions and engagements through Airmeet.
A well-planned and executed open house can be the key to unlocking a sale. Explore a virtual venue filled with rich interactions and engagements through Airmeet.
6. Reuse, repurpose and utilise your content in the future
Airmeet enables recording sessions on the cloud, safely. After the live stream, you can edit, and repurpose the recording for future use. You can share this video with your collaborated partners, share snippets on social media, or forward it to prospective leads separately.
Takeaway
The real estate landscape is evolving rapidly, and you need to be on top of your game with virtual housing events. In the future, virtual open houses are going to be vital in generating leads and selling properties.
Be your unique self, and interact with prospective buyers to meet their needs. Don’t feel overwhelmed with the change, but embrace it by planning and using the right tech. That will not just pursue your real estate clients but also help you get referrals.
