When you’re promoting a property or venue, there’s one question that you’re likely to be asked: Can I take a look around?

For many people thinking of buying a house, looking for a wedding venue or even wondering where to go for a day out, one of the most persuasive factors in their final decision is the ability to check it out first.

After all, there’s no better way to get a feel for somewhere than by seeing it.

But what if your customer can’t actually be there in person to look around? Even before coronavirus restrictions changed everything, touring a site in person was becoming ever more impractical. From being short of time to wanting to view a hotel on the other side of the world, people were finding it increasingly inconvenient or even impossible to visit a property or venue they were interested in.

So, how do you showcase your site in an engaging and informative way without actually showing people around it? What if it’s a development that hasn’t even been built yet?

Virtual viewings are the answer!

An interactive 360 degree virtual tour offers the perfect alternative to a real-life viewing, bringing places to life in the most realistic way possible. It can even go one step further and give people the chance to look around buildings and venues that don’t yet exist!

What is a 360 degree virtual tour?

Unlike standard digital photography or a walkthrough video, a 360 degree virtual tour is a completely immersive experience that puts the viewer in control. Without leaving home, people can look around a site at their leisure, directing the movement and focus of the tour themselves. With the whole environment viewable in 360 degrees, they can look and move in any direction, exploring any particular areas of interest in their own time.

Virtual tours are created by stitching together a series of slightly overlapping images. At VR, we specialise in CG virtual tours, which use computer generated images throughout.

Graphics such as logos and maps, pop-ups with useful information, and image galleries or links can also be embedded within the virtual environment to showcase key features and provide further information if required.

Benefits of CG virtual tours

Virtual viewings of a property or site that has not yet been constructed can give you a powerful marketing tool that can help you stand out from the crowd. Here’s why:

• A glimpse of the future

If you’re selling a property off-plan, virtual tours using CGIs can allow potential buyers to view the proposed interiors and exteriors before a single brick has been laid.

• Spot the difference

Your property or site may not exist yet, but high-definition computer generated renders make it almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

• Take control

A 360 degree virtual tour offers flexibility and control. People can decide where they would like to go and what areas they want to discover.

• 24/7 viewings

Time is no barrier for virtual viewings. People are able to take a look around any time of the day or night and any day of the week.

• Engaging and fun

The experience of looking around a virtual environment is immersive and engaging – and fun!

• It’s in the detail

Further information and key features can be embedded within the virtual environment for viewers to access as they wish.

• Coming around again

Virtual viewings allow people to view a site as many times as they like. This is a particular plus point if it represents a significant investment or a highly personal decision, such as a new home.

• A wide reach

Virtual tours can be viewed via a web link on mobile, tablet and desktop, as well as through virtual reality headsets for complete immersion. This makes them a flexible marketing tool that you can share across different platforms to reach as many people as possible.

• Sticky content

Placing a 360 degree virtual tour on your website creates sticky content, engaging your visitors and encouraging retention, interaction and return visits.

Get in touch

Here at VR, we have a team of architecturally-trained photographers and designers who create 360 tours and full virtual tours for a range of clients with varying budgets. Get in touch and let’s have a chat about how we can show off your property or venue in its best light. Call 01422 260 500 or email info@virtualresolution.co.uk.