Using video tours to showcase homes for sale is becoming increasingly popular as of now. With more buyers shopping for homes online before viewing in person, video tours give them a more complete picture of the property and help them determine if it’s worth visiting.
As an estate agent, you can take this one step further by using video tours to pre-qualify buyers and make sure those requesting in-person viewings are truly serious about purchasing. This saves your clients time by avoiding pointless viewings and focuses their effort on the most promising buyers.
Read on and let’s explore some tips on using video tours to pre-qualify buyers:
Require Registration to Access Videos
Don’t allow open access to your video tours. Instead, require potential buyers to submit a request which captures key details, such as name, contact info, price range, desired location, number of bedrooms, etc. This filters out those just casually browsing.
Ask Specific Questions
Go beyond basic details to have buyers indicate price ceiling, down payment amount, and closing timeline. Additionally, ask what specifically attracted them to this listing and what other properties they have viewed. This helps quantify their seriousness.
Set Viewing Conditions
To pre-qualify for an in-person viewing, specify requirements the buyer must have, such as proof of funds and mortgage pre-approval letter. Make sure they know viewings will not be granted otherwise so you don’t waste the seller’s time.
Follow Up Diligently
Don’t just send links to videos and hope for the best. Actively follow up with each registration request through email and phone to interact directly. Use this engagement to ask more qualifying questions or clarify details to further assess if they are genuinely interested and able to purchase.
Gather Feedback
During follow-ups, ask the buyer what they liked and didn’t like about the property video. Also, inquire if they have any other homes in consideration to see where this listing falls on their priority list. The more dialogue, the better sense you’ll get.
Set Viewing Appointments
For buyers who answer all questions satisfactorily and agree to conditions, go ahead and schedule viewing appointments. This shifts the buyer mentally into a more committed state. Send calendar invites they can accept rather than leaving viewings TBD.
Leverage CRM Technology
To qualify multiple buyers efficiently, leverage customer relationship management (CRM) software. This lets you automatically send questionnaires, record interactions, set tasks and reminders, and track each buyer’s progress from lead to closed sale. Popular options include Salesforce Essentials, HubSpot CRM and Zoho CRM.
Following these steps using video tours will enable you to pre-screen buyers who are ready to purchase, saving the valuable time of your clients as sellers. Separating serious buyers from casual looks also reflects well on you as a thorough, estate agent people can rely on. In a hot market, leveraging video this way is critical to ensure your client’s property gets into the right buyer’s hands the first time.