- In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, real estate agents are turning to virtual tours to market properties.
- Ryan Serhant, creator of The Serhant Team and star of "Million Dollar Listing," gave Business Insider four of the most common mistakes people make when either shooting or giving a virtual property tour.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to stay-at-home orders around the country, and real estate agents are increasingly turning to virtual tours to market properties.
While video tours are a great way for prospective homebuyers to continue their search during these uncertain times, agents need to make sure the videos they are making are as impactful as possible.
Ryan Serhant, creator of The Serhant Team and star of Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing," has been using video to market his properties since long before the pandemic.
Besides starring on the cable TV show since 2012, Serhant has a media company, Serhant Media Group, which produces a variety of content including vlogs and video tours of multimillion dollar properties. He told Business Insider he believes the real estate industry's shift to video is coming.
"Two and a half years ago, we started seeing that a lot of our purchasers who were really really busy didn't have a lot of time to come and see properties," Serhant explained. "So we just started creating all of these property tours, both entertaining video property tours and virtual tours, because we wanted another way to sell."
While the market will eventually recover and move on from the pandemic, Serhant said he believes this new focus on video content will remain.
"I think photos going forward will become secondary to video. And that's how you're going to see the sales market and real estate market really change," he said.
Heading into April, Serhant had four remote closings at 196 Orchard - a condominium complex on the Lower East Side. He attributed the building's success in the midst of the pandemic to its quality digital content.
In an interview with Business Insider, Serhant revealed the four most common mistakes agents make when giving a virtual tour.
1. They don't actually show off the space.
It's important to keep your face out of the camera, Serhant explained. Flipping the camera from front to back while giving a virtual tour is distracting and prevents the prospective buyer from getting a good view of the place.
Agents can introduce the property with their face in the camera, but should turn it around when they're walking the person through it.
"Otherwise the person is focusing on your face instead of focusing on what you're really trying to sell, which is the apartment," he said.
2. They don't give the space enough lighting.
Good lighting is often a key element buyers look for when searching for a home. When taking a video without all the lights on, agents run the risk of the homebuyer assuming the place is too dark.
Before taking a video of the place, Serhant suggested turning on all the lights and opening all of the shades.
Even though it might look nice to you, he explained, it might look too dark on someone else's phone or computer.
3. They don't have good cell service.
If you're doing an in-person virtual showing, you don't want your voice to be cutting in and out.
"You don't want the person's memory to be of your voice cracking in and out, and having the service freeze," he said.
Being cognizant about little things, like cell service, will not only improve the quality of the virtual tour, but also the experience of the prospective buyer.
4. They have shaky hands.
If you're walking and talking, you're likely talking with your hands and pointing at things, Serhant explained.
"You have to remember that the person on the other end is just holding you in their hand or seeing you on their computer," he said. "If you're taking them through a hurricane with your right hand moving all over the place, they're not going to remember the apartment."
Serhant suggested focusing on steadying your hands as you walk through the apartment.