Make a Virtual Tour

Real estate sales and leasing activities have largely gone digital. Beginning with the huge computerized listings database and progressing through websites with pictures and floor plans, many of the typical methods of hunting for properties are now done online. Consumers who are shopping for a new dwelling can narrow down their choices by viewing houses, duplexes and condominiums on the Internet. Savvy brokers and agents will offer as much information as they can in order to secure the showing. Here's how to make a virtual tour of a property so you can post it online and get more viewings of your property.

Steps

1. Plan your virtual tour.
   • Walk through the interior of the property while making notes on the features you want to highlight. Take note of angles that show the flow of the rooms.
   • Stroll around the outside of the property and find 1 or 2 angles that best present the curb appeal of the property.
2. Film each interior room in short movie clips.
   • Take care to move very slowly and to keep the camera as steady as possible. You may wish to use a tripod and swivel the camera slowly from one side to the other to get a 360 degree view of the rooms.
3. Capture digital still photographs of the outside of the property.
   • If the property is in a community that offers amenities like a pool or picnic area, you may want to take a few pictures of those before you make your movie.
4. Upload the movie clips and digital photographs to your computer.
   • Connect the camera to your computer with a USB cable. Most cameras come with one. Turn the camera on and your computer should recognize the camera as a storage device. Copy the files from the camera into a new folder you create on your computer desktop.
5. Launch the Movie Maker application if using a PC; launch iMovie if using a Mac.
   • These programs are included with nearly every modern build of Windows and the iOS operating system.
6. Import media by clicking on "File" and browsing to your desktop. Select the movie and picture files and click "Import."
7. Drag all files to the "Video" section.
   • Begin with the best digital still shot of the exterior of the property and then add each video file into the section one at a time. Finish with the remaining exterior photographs.
8. Save your project, then click the Play button to watch the virtual tour.
   • While you are watching, make notes of what you want to say about each shot. For instance, while ​the camera is panning through the living room, you can talk about the cozy fireplace or the beauty of the hardwood floors.
   • You can mention the schools in the area or the proximity to shopping and cultural venues while the pictures of the outside of the house are being displayed.
9. Connect a microphone to your computer, if not using a built-in microphone, to add narration.
   • On a PC, click "Tools," then click "Narrate Timeline."
   • If using a Mac, simply click the microphone icon.
   • The virtual tour will play while you are recording your voice-over.
   • Speak slowly and clearly into the microphone, making sure to enunciate each word.
   • When you are done, save your recording to the folder on your desktop that contains the movie and picture files. The narration will automatically be added to the "Audio/Music" section of your project.
10. Publish your movie by clicking the "Publish" button in the toolbar. Name your movie and save it to the desktop folder. Mac users will click "Share", and then click "Export Movie."

Tips

• You can add transition effects to the film clips and stills, a title screen and any number of other details to make your virtual tour stand out.You can also add some music to make the tour more interesting to the reader.

Warnings

• Be careful of embarrassing yourself and your clients. Make sure that nothing is displayed in any of the stills or movie clips that you wouldn't want prospective buyers to see.

Things You'll Need

• Digital camera with movie function
• USB cable for the camera
• PC or iMac
• USB microphone(optional)

Sources and Citations

• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Getting-started-with-Windows-Movie-Maker
• http://www.vtility.net

See also

• Stream Live Video
• Send Videos
• Attract Followers on Periscope