As many property managers know, getting a client to agree to pay for an extra tool can be the hardest sales job of all. Throw in something innovative like a Virtual Tour, and it helps to have a suite of scripts you can use to remind your landlord why you’re their trusted partner in managing their property.
We’ve put together some commonly asked questions our Property Managers get, and how they’re handling them.
Q: Why do I need a virtual tour on my rental property?
A: It’s my job to protect one of your most valuable assets. A virtual tour can:
- be used in the written section of the Form 1a Entry Condition Report, which means it can be used in QCAT to show the condition of the property at the beginning of the tenancy. Virtual tours are far more accurate than photographs, which can be influenced by lighting or any number of factors.
- be shared with trades to allow for accurate quoting without having to organise a physical inspection.
It’s also my job to get your property leased as soon as possible. The way I generate excitement around your property is to show the listing to as many people as possible, resulting in more competition and more people through the door.
Adding a virtual tour opens up your property to everyone 24/7 – interstate, overseas tenants and those who live nearby but can’t make the open home.
It also means I’m spending less time on tenants who aren’t serious. People who’ve viewed the virtual tour and then show up to an inspection are significantly more likely to be ready to put in an application for your home.
Q: I don’t want to pay another $199 when I’m already paying for other marketing.
A: This asset is one that will pay dividends many times over. Trades will be able to quote more accurately, as tours are accurate to within a millimetre, saving time and money. You’ll also be protected in the case of a dispute with a tenant, with time-stamped tours providing irrefutable evidence as to the state of a property on entry.
The way to get the highest price for your rental property is to open it up to as many people as possible, and a virtual tour opens your home to everyone 24/7. Currently people don’t have the ability to view your property unless they are able to make our inspection times, and we are excluding them from putting in an application.
The $199 package also includes floorplans, which are often an extra cost, which potential buyers will often want to see before even making their way to an open home. It also includes 10 fresh images of your property. All of this collateral can be used moving forward so we will not need to invest in this cost again.
Q: Don’t people prefer to see a property in person rather than online?
A: We’re seeing a significant uptake in the number of people moving interstate and into rural areas, without ever having set foot in the property they are leasing.
Little Hinges’ virtual tours are accurate to within a millimetre, and buyers can get a far more accurate picture of a property than they can from glossy photographs.
It’s also important to consider how renters are thinking when they are in the process of looking for a home. Often, they’ll inspect a home for a few minutes, at the same time as many other competitive tenants, and will then have to go away and remember what the property looked like, compared with others they might have viewed that day. A virtual tour helps to remind them why they fell in love with a property, and makes them feel more secure about applying because they can walk through the tour at any time of the day or night to remind themselves of it’s qualities.
Q: Aren’t virtual tours only for fancy properties? Can you edit out the kids toys and the backyard that needs mowing?
A: Virtual tours are an accurate representation of the property at the time of the scan, so it is important to put your best foot forward (which does mean popping the kids toys in a cupboard!). However, buyers know that glossy photographs are often edited, and don’t necessarily represent the property as it is. A virtual tour makes them feel confident that the property meets their needs before they even have to show up for a physical inspection, and it takes away the disappointment of coming to an inspection where a property is so different from the images presented online.
Virtual tours are also for any type of property. Because they are accurate to within a millimetre, we’re seeing landlords who are using them for repairs because trades can quote and take accurate measurements without disrupting the tenant.
Q: How will you know if they are working?
A: Both of us will have access to a real-time Insights Portal that will show us how many people have inspected the property, where they are located, how many times they’ve inspected and what aspects of the property are most interesting to them. We can then use this information to tailor our marketing messages on other platforms.
The statistics also show that 95% of people are more likely to call about listings with 3D virtual tours and listings with video generate 403% more enquiries than those without. Renters have come to expect virtual tours as the norm when looking for a new home.
Ready to book a virtual tour?
- Book online here
- Call your account manager, or
- Phone 1300 BOOK VT today.
