Mel Bernstein | December 14, 2023

Creating Irresistible Virtual Tours for Your Luxury Home in Lake Mary


Lake Mary is an affluent suburb of Orlando, Florida, featuring tree-lined streets, world-class golf courses, a family-friendly environment, and top-rated schools. The vibrant downtown district is the heartbeat of the community, offering a local gathering spot for neighbors to enjoy the weekly farmer's market, community events, and upscale shopping and dining experiences.

If you are selling your Lake Mary property, you already know what this unique town can offer new residents. Creating a virtual tour of your luxury home can show prospective buyers how your house can help them acclimate to this astounding community and help you sell your property faster. An expert real estate agent will provide this service for you.

As a leading Lake Mary real estate team, the Mel Bernstein Team is ranked among the top 1% of real estate agents nationwide and has vast experience dealing with luxury homes for sale in Lake Mary, FL. Whether you need assistance creating a virtual tour for your luxury home or need help selling your Florida property, Mel and Tina Bernstein are the team to call to get results!

What is a virtual tour?

A virtual tour provides a comprehensive, in-depth look at your property, showcasing unique selling points and providing a walkthrough of each room. It can be a 3D photo or video tour placed on a real estate website to entice buyers to view your listing.

What to include in your virtual tour

While highlighting the main features of your house is crucial, do not overlook common areas such as storage space, garages, pantries, laundry rooms, etc. Also, include any fixtures, window treatments, or designer elements remaining with the house. Some homeowners also like to add a digital floor plan of the property.

Most buyers want to see the following areas of a home in a virtual tour:

  • Kitchen
  • Bathrooms
  • Bedrooms
  • Living areas
  • Home office
  • Playrooms
  • Bonus rooms (exercise room, hobby room, etc.)
  • Exterior of the house (including landscaping, decking, etc.)
  • Pool, guest house, or other exterior features

Why virtual tours are important for selling your Lake Mary, FL, real estate

Virtual tours of a luxury home are a powerful selling tool that can create an immersive experience for prospective buyers. Unlike photographs, a virtual tour can help viewers visualize the space, helping them better understand the flow of the property. They can see rooms from various angles and different vantage points, getting a better feel for the house's layout.

Virtual tour statistics

  • In a recent survey, 95% of home buyers said they are more likely to call about properties with a 3D tour in the listing, and 71% said they would make an offer on a home using only a 3D virtual tour.
  • 50% of home buyers will not even consider looking at a home if it does not include a 360º virtual tour.
  • 75% of home buyers report a virtual tour affected their decision to purchase a home.
  • A listing with a 3D virtual tour received 87% more views, sold for up to 9% more, and closed up to 31% faster.

How to create attention-grabbing luxury home tours

Take the following step-by-step approach to ensure the utmost quality and professionalism when creating a virtual home tour that inspires prospective buyers to take a closer look at your property.

1. Decide on a concept

The first step is to determine how you want to present your home by asking yourself the following questions:

  • How much time and money do you want to invest in this project?
  • Do you want to create the virtual tour yourself or hire a professional?
  • Will you use video footage, 3D images, or both?
  • What equipment and software will you need?
Defining the project before starting will give you a clear understanding of what is involved in creating an irresistible luxury home tour of your Lake Mary, FL, real estate.

2. Assemble the equipment needed to capture quality images

Consider renting a DSLR or all-in-one 360-degree camera to create high-end professional images. A sturdy tripod with an attached panoramic head is also necessary to keep the camera steady during filming. It also allows you to take all the pictures at the same height, creating a more unified final project.

Some homeowners also elect to use a drone to capture outdoor images of their property, giving prospective buyers a full view of the exterior.

3. Stage your home

Before you begin your project, consider hiring a cleaning company to ensure every corner of your home sparkles. Remove any clutter or personal belongings from shelving, countertops, and living spaces. You can also hire a professional staging company to help you highlight the prominent features of your home to create a living area with universal appeal. The goal is to remove anything from the rooms in your house that may be distracting in the virtual tour. You want prospective buyers to be able to envision themselves living in your home, which is easier when personal items are not present.

4. Film the virtual luxury home tour

Once you have the equipment and the house is prepared, it is time to begin filming the virtual tour. You can photograph your home in the following progression:

  • Place the 360-degree camera on a tripod.
  • Starting with the exterior, take a picture from across the street.
  • Take photos from the front yard, backyard, and both sides of the house.
  • Open the front door and get photos of the entryway.
  • Turn on all the lights inside before getting interior shots, opening all curtains and blinds unless there is a distracting view.
  • Go through each room of the house, taking several pictures as you walk through each room, attempting to create a natural flow.
For interior pictures, put the tripod in the middle of each room and take several photos at eye level above counters and furniture. Ensure there are no people, pets, or other distractions in the room.

5. Choose a platform to upload the tour

Once filming is complete, select an online 360-degree tour provider to create your virtual tour. Matterport is the industry-leading platform, but hundreds of video editing software programs are available, including ThingLink and Autodesk Fusion 360, and many offer free trial versions.

Most platforms have apps allowing you to upload photos and include easy-to-use editing tools. Creating the final project may take a few hours, so be patient and methodically work through each step to ensure quality results.

6. Publish your virtual luxury home tour

When your virtual tour is complete and you are happy with the results, you can share the video with family, friends, and social media. Most importantly, you want to work with a qualified real estate agent to get the virtual tour posted on the multiple listing service (MLS).

The benefits of creating a virtual tour

There are numerous advantages to incorporating virtual tours into your real estate listings. Here is a list of the key benefits:

  • Improve accessibility
  • Save time and money
  • Enhance the home-buying experience
  • Increase listing visibility
  • Potentially higher selling price
  • Reach a wider audience

Contact the Mel Bernstein Team to learn more about Lake Mary, FL, real estate

The Mel Bernstein Team has extensive experience working with luxury homes for sale in Lake Mary, FL. At Sotheby's International Realty, they understand choosing a real estate agent to market your luxury property requires an immeasurable amount of trust.

The team believes your home deserves the best representation, and Mel and Tina can generate exceptional results, guiding you every step of the way. Contact them if you think filming your virtual tour is too overwhelming; they will handle the entire process for you.




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