Matterport For Real Estate Agents

According to a recent NAR study titled "The Digital House Hunt", 9 out of 10 buyers start their search online. This biggest question in residential real estate marketing is 'how are you setting your listings apart online?' What better way than with a Matterport 3D Tour? 

I believe that this is one of the single greatest tools available to help a realtor stand out from the competition. Unfortunately, some realtors simply look at it as a cost that is coming out of their commission. I believe that if you want to be successful selling real estate, you should be willing to spend on a top of the line marketing tool like this.  

I think one of the main factors that contributes to agent skepticism about this new technology is the average age of real estate agents in the United States. Last I checked, that age was 57 years old. No offense meant to older real estate agents, but why would they change their tried and true methods they have used for years? I understand their resistance to change, but with new websites and services popping up every day trying to make real estate agents obsolete (something I believe will never happen), agents must continue to evolve in order to provide more and more value to their clients. Old forms of marketing like newspapers and magazines are much less relevant today. In the past these took up the majority of a marketing budget.

Because of this, I thought I would highlight some of the not so obvious benefits to adding a Matterport 3D Showcase to your listings:

1. It shows your sellers that you are willing to go above and beyond to set their home apart from other listings. They will appreciate the added time and cost you are spending on them. This can lead to more referrals.

2. Because this technology is so new, it makes your listing memorable. If someone looks at two similarly priced listings, in similar condition, don't you think they would remember the one they were able to virtually walk through more than the other?

3. It sets you apart form other realtors. When sellers interview agents to list their luxury home, don't you think offering a 3D Tour would set you apart from other agents during a listing presentation?

4. It saves you time on showings. When buyers have the ability to do a walkthrough of a home from their computer, it allows them to decide whether they should put it on their short list or rule it out completely. Realtors should see this as a good thing, because buyers who want to view the home in person have already seen the home once, and have decided they are still very interested. No more wasting time with buyers who are not truly interested.

5. In a few years from now, I truly believe Matterport 3D tours will be the norm in luxury real estate. Don't you want to be able to claim that you were an early adapter of this technology before other agents began offering it?

I would love to get feedback from St. Louis area real estate agents in the comments below. Or feel free to contact me directly at STL3DTours@gmail.com .