The Virtual Open House: Need to Know
A virtual real estate event is one that can be held online instead of in-person. Virtual real estate open houses offer a number of benefits. Not only can this type of open house help keep people safe and socially distanced, but virtual open houses are often exceptionally well attended, so your property is more likely to sell! Here's what you need to know about setting up virtual open house tours.
1. Pick your platform to host your open house tour
It's important to make sure that you choose the right platform for the event. These platforms are considered to be the best options for a virtual open house and promoting real estate on the web.
Facebook is certainly an excellent option to consider. Not only is it extremely popular, but it also offers a very convenient video chat feature. Here are a few reasons why you should consider it:
- Pay-Per-Click: Facebook offers a highly effective pay-per-click advertising program, which can give your open house far more visibility on the platform.
- Huge Audience: It's one of the largest social media sites on the web, and this means you'll be able to reach an exceptionally large audience.
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The Marketplace: The Facebook Marketplace can be an effective platform to promote real estate listings.
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No Limitations: Facebook does not limit the amount of written content or images that you can post, which means that you can leave pictures on the platform after the event is over.
Instagram is one of the best places to post pictures of your open house. That's because anyone will be able to view them even after it's over. However, it has some other unique advantages as well:
- Popular: The platform is one of the most popular social media sites on the web, which makes it easier to reach a large audience.
- Abundant SEO Opportunities: It offers plenty of opportunities to boost your local SEO with the platform's internal search engine.
- Ever Increasing Popularity: The popularity of this platform is likely to increase over time.
- Range of Age Demographics: The platform is popular among a wide range of age groups. This will help to ensure that the event is likely to be accessible to a large audience.
Zoom
Zoom offers one of the most popular video conferencing services in the world, and it has become an important part of everyday life during the pandemic. Furthermore, it's extremely popular in the real estate business. That's because it's easy to use, free, and offers highly effective management tools. This can make it easier to get leads and sell your property!
Skype
While Skype has become less popular over the years, it's still a very well-known video conferencing platform. It's also extremely user-friendly, which helps to ensure that attendees will have a good experience at your virtual open house. Despite the fact that Zoom is much more popular than Skype nowadays, there are some key advantages of the platform to be aware of:
- Already Built-In: Many devices come with Skype built-in, which can make the meeting easily accessible to potential buyers.
- Good for Small Groups: If the number of people attending the virtual open house is expected to be small, then Skype could be a better option than Zoom.
- Can Accommodate Large Groups: Even if the open house has a large number of attendees, the platform should work well as long as the number of people viewing it is under 250.
- Secure: Due to potential security risks associated with Zoom, some individuals avoid using the software altogether. Skype is significantly more secure.
CRM
While CRM is not designed for video conferencing, it's a powerful tool that can help you manage events related to the sale of your property. CRMs for real estate are helpful in keeping your team aligned during your key stages of planning. This makes CRMs a great choice for both realtors and homeowners.
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Here are a few other advantages of CRM to keep in mind:
- Management Tools: If you are listing multiple properties, using CRM can make managing your real estate business much easier. In fact, you'll be able to make use of a wide range of inventory forecasting and planning tools.
- Marketing Tools: CRM offers a wide range of marketing tools, which can make it easier to promote the open house across a wide range of digital platforms.
- Trusted Platform: CRM is trusted by numerous realtors and property managers in nearly every corner of the world. That's because it can dramatically improve your marketing efforts while also allowing you to offer better customer service.
Live virtual open house
While virtual open houses can be recorded, there are advantages to hosting one live. That's because attendees will be able to ask you questions about the house during the event, which can allow you to showcase the best features of the home. This can increase your chances of selling the property!
2. Advertise your open house
In order to get people to attend your open house, you'll need to effectively promote it on and off the web. While there are many strategies that you can use, most real estate experts feel that these strategies are highly effective:
- Use Multiple Strategies: Make sure that you utilize a combination of online and offline marketing strategies. For instance, you can create fliers that include a link to the open house along with pay-per-click ads on social media platforms.
- Advertise Locally: Ensure that you advertise the virtual open house on forums and boards that are specifically designed for residents of your area.
- Create Physical Advertisements: Mention the open house in multiple real estate booklets that can be found in your area. If possible, get the event listed in a local paper.
3. Do Your Homework on Virtual Property Hosting
It's important to do the same preparations that you would if you were hosting the open house in person. Make sure that you know what you're going to say before it begins. While the talking points will vary significantly from one property to another, these are some of the most important things to cover:
- Square Footage: Make sure that you mention the home's square footage. This is one of the most important details that buyers will want to know.
- Bathrooms and Features: Always ensure that you cover how many bathrooms the property has and mention any unique features in this part of the home. For instance, always mention if the property has any unique shower or sink fixtures.
- Flooring: Talk about any unique or stylish flooring that the home has, such as floors made out of exotic wood.
- Included Furniture: Mention any noteworthy furniture items that will be included with the home.
- Number of Acres: Always be sure to mention the number of acres that the property has.
- Special Property Details: If the property is located in an especially scenic area, it's important to make sure that you show footage of them. This could be the property's main selling point.

4. Focus on the Logistics of Your Virtual Open House
After you have gotten the house ready for the event, it's time to host it. Here are a few tips that can help to ensure that the day goes smoothly:
• Get plenty of sleep. • Take a look at your notes again. • Walk through the house before you begin the event to identify any areas that could use improvement. • Always make sure that you mention the property's address. • Try to arrive an hour or two ahead of time. • Make sure that you're prepared for any technical problems that could come up.
5. Spruce Up The Home, Now
While the tips listed above are likely to dramatically improve the appeal of your property, you can take it a step further by following a few other simple tips. Here are a few other things to keep in mind:
- Make sure that the home has plenty of curb appeal.
- Always highlight some key details of the property, such as the size of garages and closets.
- Talk about any uniquely colored rooms in the house.
- Spruce up the walls with artworks. Incorporating Aboriginal art is a great way to add vibrant colors to any space.
- Make sure that you've prepared responses to any questions that buyers are especially likely to ask.
- Promote the open house on multiple social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
- Always disclose any structural issues with the property.
If the property that you're showing will be used for commercial purposes, there are a few other things that you should be sure to mention. The location will be one of the most important things to mention if the property is in the center of town. If the property could be rented out to tenants, this could be a very strong selling point, especially if it's located in a desirable part of town.
If the location has a rich history or any other unique selling points, make sure that you mention this during the open house. In many cases, you will be able to find something unusual, unique, or unexpected about the property that could be used as a selling point during the open house.

6. Prepare for What Comes Next
After the event, it's important to realize that the process of selling the property is far from over. Here are some steps you'll need to take:
- Be Available: Make sure that you're available to answer questions after the event is over.
- Maintain the Property: Always ensure that the property is well-maintained.
- Always Follow Up: Follow up with anyone who seems interested in the property. In many cases, you'll be able to close the sale. This is especially true if you have plenty of experience when it comes to selling properties.
- Post Footage Online: If the open house has been recorded, consider making the footage accessible on social media and video streaming platforms. Furthermore, you can use some screenshots from the footage as photos for the listing.
7. Protect Your Property Business from Risk
It's important to take steps to protect yourself from liability. Even if the open house is virtual, there are still scenarios that could lead to a lawsuit. Luckily, real estate insurance will be able to protect you. However, it's essential to make sure that you choose a comprehensive plan, which offers at least one million dollars' worth of coverage.
Not only should you consider how comprehensive and affordable the plan is, but it's also important to ensure that the insurer offers easily accessible customer service. Furthermore, you'll want to make sure that the plan will protect you in the event of a lawsuit that's caused by accidentally giving a buyer inaccurate information. This is known as professional indemnity insurance, and it's important to have this in addition to liability coverage.