While taking an in-person tour is one of the best ways to view a home or an apartment, it isn’t always a feasible option. Whether you can’t physically tour because of COVID-19 or because you currently don’t live in the same city as the one you’re moving to, virtual tours offer an alternative. You might be thinking, “are virtual tours worth it?” Virtual tours don’t just offer a quick look at an apartment or home, they also offer the convenience of doing it right from wherever you are and they save you time and money. Follow this comprehensive guide on how to tour a home or apartment virtually.
What is a virtual home tour?
A virtual home or apartment tour is an online tour that lets you view an apartment or housing unit using a mobile phone, tablet, or computer. By doing this, you can learn a lot about an apartment, such as its condition, layout, size, and amenities, without having to be physically there. With this information, you’ll be able to make a better-informed decision on whether you should rent the apartment. Some virtual tours are user-controlled, allowing you to decide which part of the unit to check out next.
Benefits of Taking a Virtual Home Tour
Virtual tours are becoming an increasingly popular option among apartment hunters in large part due to COVID-19 and shelter-in-place orders. But even when the dust has settled and apartments can be seen in person, there are several benefits that will have made virtual tours an integral part of the apartment-renting process.
1. Convenience
Visiting a prospective apartment in person can be a hassle. You may have to take time off work or sacrifice your free time on a weekend to physically tour the unit. Additionally, you might find it difficult to find a time that works for both you and the leasing agent or the landlord. If the apartment you want to see is far away, you also have to spend a considerable amount of time traveling there.
Virtual tours make it possible for you to view apartments anytime without having to schedule appointments or travel to their locations. If a certain apartment doesn’t meet your expectations, you can check out another one with minimal hassle.
2. Expanded Geographic Boundaries
If you’re moving to another city, state, or country and don’t have the time to travel all the way there to see a prospective home or apartment in person, you can tour the unit virtually instead. Virtual tours enable you to do some long-distance apartment hunting while saving time and money.
3. Enriched Experience
Photos of an apartment give you a basic idea of how the unit looks, but they may not give you the full picture. A virtual tour, on the other hand, shows you many things that pictures don’t reveal, including the apartment’s layout and features. It allows you to view each room at your own pace and look for amenities that matter to you, such as flooring, lighting, and countertops. You can take your time exploring the details of the apartment and then prepare questions to ask your landlord if you need clarification on anything.
4. Repeated Tours
If you choose to tour an apartment in person, it can be inconvenient to revisit the unit if you missed something the first time around. In a competitive market, you might only get one chance to look at an apartment before someone else swoops in and rents it first. A virtual home tour is available at any time of the day, so you can check out an apartment as many times as you want without feeling pressured to sign on the spot.
Types of Virtual Home Tours
Virtual apartment tours come in a few different forms. While some of them give you a more comprehensive look at apartments, others are specially designed to allow you to view units at your own pace. Here are four common types of virtual apartment tours you can try.
3D Virtual Tours
A 3D virtual tour is a 3D simulation of an apartment that lets you “walk through” the unit by clicking the direction in which you want to move. In this type of tour, you can explore a model apartment, view its floor plan, and walk through bedrooms. You may also be able to check out the apartment’s community amenities, such as the swimming pool, fitness center, and resident lounge area.
Personalized Video Tours
Video tours are perhaps the best way to tour virtually. A video tour allows you to click a button and watch the video all the way through, pausing in places where you want to get a closer look at some of the apartment’s details. When a landlord, leasing agent, or property manager puts together a video tour, they can use a variety of platforms. Some of the most popular ones include YouTube, Vimeo, Helix, and Matterport. Zumper integrates will all of these, so you will be able to watch a video on Zumper that a landlord has created and uploaded.
Video Calls
Real estate agents or landlords can use video calls in several ways to provide apartment tours for potential renters. They may engage in an informal video call with you and show you all of the rooms and features as they walk around the apartment. Alternatively, they might host a virtual open house to allow renters to view an apartment at a specified time via video chat.
Panoramic Tours
If you prefer to tour an apartment at your own pace without the presence of a real estate agent, you can opt for a panoramic tour instead. Also called a 360 virtual tour, you can often find these on an apartment’s website. They give you an unbroken view of each room in a unit as well as other community facilities using a still camera that has taken a number of different shots from a single vantage point. This allows you to get a 360-degree view of an apartment, which makes you feel like you’re there in person.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Virtual Tours
If you’re going on your first virtual tour, here are a few tips to make sure your virtual home tour is a success:
- Write everything down: Make notes of things you liked and didn’t like about the apartment. Was the kitchen too small? Did you like the layout? Once the tour is over, your notes can help y9ou make your decision.
- Ask the right questions: Ask the landlord questions about aspects of the apartment that the virtual tour doesn’t show, such as cellphone coverage, noise levels, neighborhood vibe, and parking spaces.
- Request additional photos: It’s also important to get detailed photos of certain rooms and features in the apartment, such as pictures showing the amount of sunlight entering the rooms, the inside of closets and cabinets, and the condition of the carpet.
No matter where you are, you’ll be able to search for your perfect apartment more easily and effectively using virtual tours. Make sure you choose the type of virtual tour that works best for you and ask the right questions to get all of the information you need about your prospective apartment.
Ready to get started? Check out thousands of apartments for rent on Zumper and filter your search results by those apartments offering online tours.
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