Tips On Preparing And Recording A Virtual Tour

While the property market in England is open for business once again, this is not the case in Wales. For now, however, there is a lot you can do to prepare your home for a sale when the market eventually re-opens.
Government guidance has reiterated the importance of virtual video tours, and these are likely to be a short-term measure which becomes a common part of the property market.

If you plan on selling your home, you’ll be aware of the benefits offered by a virtual tour. Without having to welcome people to your property, you can showcase your home, allowing buyers to see its best features.
However, if you haven’t created a virtual tour before, or you aren’t too confident about recording your home, don’t worry. Most people feel the same, and while virtual tours are widely known, few people have had to capture their home in this way.

With lockdown still in place for many people, and Government advice suggesting it is best for agents and potential viewers not to enter vendors’ homes, you should create your virtual tour yourself. At Moving You, we have tips on preparing and recording a virtual tour.

Prepare your home as you would do for a standard viewing

The first step is to ensure your home is presentable and attractive to likely buyers. Before you worry about the technicalities of shooting a tour, declutter your house and clean to a high standard. It would help if you also tried to present your home with a buyer in mind, something we are happy to offer more advice about.

You don’t need to shoot everything in one continuous shot

You might have seen some virtual tours which flow through the house in a continuous shot, but you don’t need to worry about that. If you are more confident about creating several short clips, ensuring each room is well presented, this is the best way for you to approach the recording.

Don’t worry about narrating the shoot

You want to focus your energy and effort on capturing your house at its best. Therefore, don’t worry about narrating the video shoot. If your agent wants to add a voiceover later, they can do so.

Open doors

Open doors around the home, as this creates more space, it helps people to imagine the flow of your home, and it will stop any awkward moments where you attempt to open the door of your home.

Plan your path through the house

You want to make sure you capture all the rooms in your house, and it is helpful to devise a natural flow around the home. Picture the way an agent would carry out a viewing, starting from the front door, viewing the downstairs rooms and then moving upwards, before returning to any garden or basement area.

Don’t forget the outside of your home

Your garden or exterior area helps buyers connect with your home, and people want to see these parts of your property. Ending on an external shot of your home can be a nice feature and a natural conclusion.
There are also practical tips you should consider. With the quality of smartphone cameras, most people have a commendable video camera in their pocket. Follow these quick tips to enhance the footage you capture:

• Check your equipment before shooting – make sure your battery is fully charged, that you have sufficient memory, and that the video camera is working
• Shoot at a suitable time when there is ample light coming into the house – open all your curtains
• Stand in the middle of the room – don’t attempt closeups, allow people to see as much of the room as possible
• If you can, use a stand or holder which keeps your camera steady when filming

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If you would like information or guidance on how we can assist you prepare a virtual viewing, or sell your home, please contact us today. At Moving You, we aim to provide you with dependable, reliable and affordable services, so get in touch.