We’ve talked about 3D Virtual Tours before, but May 2020 seems so far in the rearview, doesn’t it?

So let’s dig in with a little refresher and talk about what industries can benefit most from this incredible, bring-your-space-to-life photography tool. (Oh, and yes, we do happen to specialize in 3D tours, thanks for asking.)

What is a 3D Virtual Tour?

No, a 3D virtual tour is not a video tour — it’s created using still images that are digitally stitched together to form a full 360-degree panoramic. When you browse a property or space online, this allows you to rotate the screen and feel as if you are within the space. You gain the full perspective — zoom or pan in and out — and get a better sense of what it’s like to actually be standing there, all from the comfort of your home, or wherever you are. 

This gives users, property browsers, (whatever you want to call them), the enhanced ability to browse their dream homes or the commercial space where they hope to one day open their restaurant, etc., from their mobile devices. This is how we view properties today — it’s everyone’s favorite pastime. 

With a 3D virtual tour, you can give users a fully-interactive, immersive experience. People expect 3D tours when they visit a property online, no matter what type of space they’re looking for. Simply put: Today’s property shoppers browse online, and when they visit in person, they’ll know what to expect. 

This can get more eyes on your property — 3D tours are highly shareable and can be used on your website, in presentations, on listing services/apps, and of course, social media. 

And, as you’ll see in a moment, it goes beyond just those who are looking for a home or commercial space. So who benefits most from 3D virtual tours? Time to find out. 

1. Residential Real Estate

Yes, of course they’re first on the list, but for good reason.

Shopping for a home starts on our phones. We browse whatever is our preferred real estate app for hours on end, whether we’re searching for our forever home in the Kansas City area, or our dream vacation home in our favorite locale. 

Regardless, one of the best ways to really get a feel for a home is to view it through a 3D tour. 

A static image never does a room justice, but a 3D tour helps you feel like you’re within the space, spinning around as you would at an open house. Buying a home is an emotional experience, and a 3D tour helps you get that all-important feel for the home.

This leads to prospective home-buyers booking a showing or attending your open house. More eyes on the listing means more offers and fetching a higher price for your client. 

2. Commercial Real Estate

You can make that emotional connection with anyone who has dreams for a commercial real estate space.

Whether they want to open a restaurant, brewery, boutique, office space, or any other type of business — you can help them envision their dreams with a 3D tour. 

These people likely already have a vision in mind — being able to “walk” around a space helps them see how it might look. Commercial real estate spaces are often a blank slate, and that can be overwhelming with static imagery. But a 3D tour allows them to explore the space, to understand the true size and scope, and see if it fits their vision.

3. Small and Large Businesses

Commercial real estate spaces certainly include small and large businesses, but they’re of course unique in their needs.

A small business may very well be able to utilize residential space in a work-from-home start-up or a residential storefront type scenario. Smaller commercial spaces also can be a perfect fit for a small business. 

Likewise, bigger spaces will be well-suited for large businesses — and 3D tours offer the perfect format to showcase the sheer size of a space. Many businesses often question “is it big enough?” and your 3D tour will give them a better idea of whether the answer is a yes or no. 

The point is — 3D tours are perfect for any size space. Regardless of whether the user is searching for a space for a large or small business, they’ll want to get inside and spin around using a 3D tour to get a better idea of whether or not the space is a good fit. 

4. Colleges and Universities

Remember when we said it’s not just about shopping for a residential or commercial space? Here’s why.

Colleges and universities can showcase their facilities for prospective students via 3D tours. Okay, that’s still technically selling I suppose, but using 3D tours to showcase campus is a great way to land students. 

You can show off everything from dorms to classrooms to green spaces and sporting facilities to help show why your university is perfect for a given student. They’ll love the ability to browse each space without having to physically visit the campus, but if they love what they see, they’ll absolutely come see campus in person. 

Picture KC 3D Tours

We offer cost and time-effective 3D virtual tours. We don’t use Matterport as they charge an incredible amount of overhead. They also take forever to do their thing, when we can take the pictures ourselves much more quickly. 

Since this helps us save time, it helps you save money on your 3D tour. You won’t lose anything in terms of quality (in fact, we think our human eye helps make them a bit better).

See some samples of our 3D virtual tours to see what I mean and reach out if you’d like to book one with us today!