A successful viewing can be the difference between a let rental property and an empty house. However, with face-to-face property inspections paused for the foreseeable future, it’s time to embrace the power of virtual viewings.
Virtual tours are a great way to emulate the real thing and can be useful in encouraging future tenants to make up their mind about lettings. Virtual tours can also help to put your property listing in front of the right people. At Bunk, we’ve experienced a surge in enquiries for property listings with virtual viewings. Rightmove has also recently introduced an ‘Online Viewing’ label to allow tenants to spot listings with video tours quickly.
If you are unable to access your rental property under the current lockdown restrictions, ask your tenants for assistance. With a smartphone or camera, you can film a virtual viewing quickly and easily. Once you have a great virtual viewing to share, you can upload it to all major portals and liaise with potential new tenants with help from Bunk.
To keep up with demand and continue attracting new tenants, it’s time to enhance your property listing with an engaging video tour. Check out our top tips to get started.
Plan the best route to take
Before you start filming, it pays to have a route planned out. This will help you film smoothly and steadily, without backtracking or filming the same room twice. When planning your route, consider the following tips:
- Before you start filming, open all the doors in the house. This will allow you to walk through the property freely and with minimal disruptions.
- Start from outside of the property. Kerb appeal plays a significant role in the marketing of a house or apartment, and prospective tenants will want to get a feel for the property’s entranceway and proximity to neighbouring buildings.
- Pause for a few seconds as you step into the property to film the porch or hallway. This is a subtle yet effective way to capture the feeling of stepping into a new home.
- Capture the most impressive parts of your property within the first minute of the video to keep the viewer engaged. Pay particular attention to common pain points, such as the bathroom and kitchen, to give viewers a feel for the size and layout of each room.
Take advantage of natural bright light
Natural bright light can make a room look airy and more spacious, so consider filming your video tour earlier in the day. By taking advantage of the morning light streaming in through the windows, you can also avoid the yellow tinge of light bulbs often picked up by cameras. To maximise the natural light in your rental property, don’t forget to open all curtains and blinds.
Film in landscape format
To capture a fuller picture, we recommend filming your video tour in landscape format. This will offer a more accurate representation of the property’s size and layout, unlike portrait mode which can distort frames and make rooms look narrow. A landscape video will also appear much larger on a phone, tablet or laptop screen, making it easier for viewers to get a feel for the property and hone in on smaller details.
Scan slowly to capture each angle
For an effective virtual tour, stand in the corner of each room and scan the camera slowly to record every angle. This is the most effective way to capture the general size and layout of the property.
Keep the virtual viewing short
A video tour must be user-friendly if it’s going to attract new tenants, so we recommend keeping your virtual viewing short and sweet. By making sure your virtual tour is no longer than three minutes, you can keep your viewers engaged and make the most of their attention. A shorter video also makes it easier for your viewers to rewind and re-watch clips of rooms or features they are particularly interested in.
Cater to viewer demand
Staying flexible and catering to viewer demand will help you form a positive relationship with potential new tenants. You may receive requests to film live viewings through WhatsApp, FaceTime or Zoom, which will allow viewers to have their questions answered and inspect parts of the property in more detail.
Remember that a virtual viewing isn’t a substitute for professional-looking property photographs – the two should work together. A selection of great property photographs will encourage interested viewers to watch or book a live virtual viewing, giving you the opportunity to convert enquiries into tenants.
At Bunk, we want to make it easier than ever for landlords to set up new tenancies. That’s why our digital lettings platform includes all the tools and resources needed to list rental properties, sign contracts and stay compliant. To find out how Bunk could help you, book a 30-minute demonstration with one of our experts today.
