Buying real estate is a noteworthy chapter in one’s life, so it’s little surprise that those seeking to buy proceed with measured caution. For those in the business of property marketing, this necessitates an array of strategies, vast and varied, to enlighten and attract potential customers.

Old-school tactics—like open houses and roadside billboards—have quietly slipped into the shadows, replaced by modern-day alternatives better suited to the digital age. Today’s digital landscape calls for a more engaging approach, hence the rise of virtual tours and static renders as key marketing instruments. These tools, created by Plus Render, give architects, developers, and designers a dynamic immersive experience that highlights their creations and attracts interest. 

This article delves into the merits of virtual tours versus static renders and explores how both can elevate your property marketing efforts.

Visualization Services in Real Estate Marketing

Most real estate buyers prefer to view properties before sealing the deal. They want to inspect the property before proceeding with any transaction. 

Visualization products, encompassing virtual tours and static renders, furnish prospective buyers with an intricate glimpse of listings, eliminating the necessity for physical presence. 

Allocating resources to these visualization services is a prudent investment for real estate enterprises as they constitute a singular expense that perpetually yields benefits for as long as the property remains available in the marketplace.

How Virtual Tours Work

Plus Renders’ virtual tours rely on virtual reality (VR) technology to simulate the experience of being inside a space. A property is captured through meticulous still photographs or 360° footage, subsequently woven into a fluid and interactive VR journey. Eager clients can then navigate the space virtually with a VR headset, eliminating the necessity for their physical presence at the location.

The virtual tour serves as an indispensable marketing instrument for real estate. An agent can effortlessly showcase every listing in their portfolio to clients, all while remaining comfortably in their office. Customers experience a VR simulation of the house through the VR headset, which gives them a fair idea of what it would feel like to explore the property in person. 

This method of visualizing and showcasing properties is quickly gaining popularity. A 2017 survey by the National Association of Realtors found that 50% of all homebuyers found virtual tours very useful when selecting properties to purchase.

How Static Renders Work

Upon initial observation, one might mistakenly assume that 3D static renders are merely photographs. This belief is a fallacy, stemming from the remarkably lifelike quality of contemporary 3D renders. The advancement of rendering software has progressed to such an extent that distinguishing between a static render and a genuine photograph has become exceedingly difficult.

Photorealistic static renders employ pre-existing 3D models of objects and spaces to faithfully reproduce them in an image. While a photograph captures only a singular angle and scenario, 3D renders offer significantly greater versatility. They can illustrate various perspectives of a single environment, demonstrate how a space appears in natural light compared to artificial illumination, and reveal the interconnectedness of different areas within a residence. 

With these inherent benefits over conventional photography, 3D rendering has emerged as a favored instrument for designers, marketers, and agents in presenting their properties. Last year, the global 3D rendering market reached a value of $4.4 billion, with projections indicating continued growth over the next five years.

The Pros and Cons of Virtual Tours

Thanks to advances in VR technology and growing acceptance from consumers, virtual tours are quickly becoming one of the most reliable ways to showcase a property through a digital medium. 

Here are the benefits and drawbacks of using virtual tours for real estate marketing:

Advantages

The benefits of using virtual tours for marketing real estate include:

• Immersive Experiences: VR is a completely immersive experience for the user. Taking a virtual tour allows potential customers to feel as if they are already on the property. They can explore the space without any interruptions or distractions that are part and parcel of in-person open house visits. This way, they can inspect every room and corner of the property until they are satisfied.
• User Engagement: Virtual tours can be highly informative. The VR simulation doesn’t just contain a faithful depiction of the house. It can also feature interactive elements, such as clickable buttons that contain additional information and helpful dialog boxes. This allows the virtual tour operators to fit in more information, such as details about additional amenities attached to the property or the specifications and special features of any appliances and fixtures in the house.
• Accuracy: A virtual tour takes the “reality” aspect of VR very seriously. While they can be used to show how construction will look once it is finished, their main draw is they provide a lifelike simulation of visiting the property. 

Virtual tours offer a compelling blend of immersion, interactivity, and accuracy, making them an invaluable asset in real estate marketing.

Disadvantages

The drawbacks of opting for virtual tours include:

• Higher Costs: Preparing a virtual tour is a one-time cost, but they are not cheap. The price could range from anywhere between a few hundred dollars to over $10,000, depending on the scale of the project. As a rule of thumb, the more detailed a virtual tour is, the more expensive it is to design and create.
• Technical Requirements: VR is still in its nascent stages, which means virtual tours require a level of technological proficiency to create in the first place. Operating a virtual tour also requires infrastructure, such as a VR headset and a high-speed internet connection.

The cost and technical requirements involved in virtual tours make them well-suited for high-impact marketing efforts.

The Pros and Cons of Static Renders

Here are the arguments for and against static renders in real estate marketing:

Advantages

Using static renders has many benefits, such as:

• Inexpensive: Static renders use pre-existing assets such as computer-aided design (CAD) models and blueprints, which makes their creation cost-effective. 
• Collaboration: Static renders can be used by a property’s stakeholders to discuss alterations or changes during the design process.
• Experimentation: Since static renders are inexpensive to create, it allows designers to tinker with layouts and furnishing. 

A static render is a convenient way to display a property down to its finest details. Everything from room dimensions and layout to furniture and lighting fixtures can be faithfully represented in a static 3D render, contributing to their popularity. 

Disadvantages

Certain drawbacks linked to static renders include:

• Non-interactive: Though static renders contain much more detail than photographs, they don’t offer much interactivity. Customers can only look at static renders, not interact with the elements contained within them.
• Easy to fake: Customers can view static renders with a hint of skepticism since they are easier to create and therefore easier to fake. Earning customer trust requires creating faithful renders of the spaces.

Overall, static renders offer a cost-effective and highly detailed way to showcase properties, making them ideal for collaboration and design experimentation, even if they lack the interactivity of more advanced tools.

Virtual Tours vs Static Renders: Key Differences

Despite their similarities, there are some key differences between virtual tours and static renders. 

• Price: Virtual tours are more expensive than static renders.
• Perspective: Virtual tours allow customers to move through a property, but static renders have a single, fixed perspective.
• Compatibility: Virtual tours can only be utilized through digital media, but static renders can be used online and offline. 

Virtual tours and static renders are valid ways of visualizing and marketing real estate. They help drive sales by reducing the amount of time it takes to show clients different properties. 

Choosing Between Virtual Tour vs Static Renders

To sell real estate, you need to entice homebuyers. Ultimately, the choice between virtual tours versus static renders comes down to your budget, your audience’s expectations, and your property. Plus Render can help you decide which visualization solutions to use. 

We can then use our 3D visualization services to showcase your properties in the best light whether you prefer a virtual tour, a static render, or a mixture of both. 

Learn more about Plus Render by exploring our portfolio or booking a call.