How to Prepare Your Home for a Virtual Tour

Shelter in place orders may be changing the way that we do business, but they haven't stopped business from being done. In real estate, virtual tours have quickly become one of the most popular tools for promoting properties, with both buyers and sellers eager to move their transactions forward with the help of technology. As with any type of home tour, our real estate agents can tell you that how you prep your home ultimately makes a huge impact on the impression that the property makes on potential buyers. Start your prep work on the right foot with our guide for how to prepare your home for a virtual tour.

• Treat a Virtual Tour Like the Real Thing
  While there are some small things like scents that you won't have to worry about for a virtual tour, for the most part, you'll want to prepare just as you would if a potential buyer was visiting the home in person. Attention to detail, cleanliness, staging, good lighting, and other familiar factors are still as important as ever for a virtual tour when you're competing with other Naples homes for sale.

• Clean Your Home from Top to Bottom
  Whether they're touring from afar or up close, buyers always want to see a home that is clean and well-maintained. Start your prep work by doing a deep cleaning of the whole home, from top to bottom. That includes cleaning closets, basements, and lesser-used spaces because you want to be able to give the buyer a solid impression of every part of the home. 

• Remove Clutter from Any Area Included in the Tour
  Just like with a traditional tour, you want the buyer to be able to envision what their life would be like in the home. Clearing out clutter and personal items is key to making that possible. You won't have curious buyers poking around in every storage space, but you still want to be able to showcase those spaces as part of your virtual tour. While you're at it, remove evidence of pets to avoid turning off buyers who don't have pets of their own.

• Smart Staging Helps Buyers Envision Their Lives in the Home
  Clearing out clutter also makes it much easier to stage your home effectively, which is crucial to communicating to buyers what the property is like. Professional staging is typically a great idea when marketing your home, but may not be possible right now in some communities. Be sure to ask your real estate agent for their staging tips and what rooms to pay attention to for your virtual tour.

• Check Your Lighting
  Good lighting is crucial for getting high-quality footage of your property, and any lights that aren't working are sure to stand out negatively. Take care of two challenges at once by going through your home to make sure that all lights are working correctly.

• Make Sure Your Landscaping, Lawn, and Yard Look Their Best
  Curb appeal still matters, even if buyers won't be arriving physically at your curb for a tour! You'll want to showcase that beautiful Florida landscaping as part of your tour, so make sure that all outdoor areas around the home are looking their best.

Looking for a team that will use the latest technology to market your property? Contact us to buy and sell homes on the Paradise Coast.