Over the past few weeks, the practice of social distancing has become integrated into all aspects of our being, from Friday nights to work-from-home. While these measures extend to the property market, the current climate shouldn’t stop you from having your property up for grabs. Rickman Properties are helping all our clients in practising safe marketing with the integration of social distancing measures, so it’s business-as-usual. How? We’re embracing the present and transmitting our property viewings online with virtual property viewings!
From preparation to filming tips, see below a step-by-step guide on how you can properly present your property virtually.
Preparation Part I: Clean and Tidy
Ready the hoover and mop – let’s get cleaning! First impressions matter and nothing puts off a prospective buyer quite like a messy abode. The usual cleaning rules apply – do a thorough once over of all rooms, appliances and outdoor areas, including cleaning windows and ledges to ensure maximum light into the property. Don’t forget to clean inside and above storage facilities. Make sure you take your cleaning ritual a step further if the opportunity permits. Address any damage to plaster, woodwork, flooring, unsightly stains on furniture or carpets, and displeasing mould on bathroom grouting. You want your property to be spick-and-span for its new potential owner.
Have a good tidy too. You should depersonalise your space (more on that in Preparation Part II), but you should also ensure essential home items are where they should be. Fix loose wires, tuck away the wifi router, and remove unnecessary cooking appliances from the tabletop, for example. Everyone appreciates ample storage space, so make sure all drawers and cupboards are completely clear so you can show them off.
Preparation Part II: Home Staging 101
Home staging is the practice of preparing your home for sale or for rent by emphasising its best features. While you can make a professional career out of this, all sellers can utilise some tricks of the trade.
Rule 1: Depersonalise. Potential homebuyers need to visualise living their life within the property, and personal items will snap them out of it. Shift family photos and ornaments, remove children’s possessions like toys or posters, clean the fridge from magnets and the corkboard from calendars or to-do lists. If feasible, consider off-site storage of these items so storage spaces can be included in your video.
Rule 2: Neutralise. You want your property to appeal to as many prospective buyers as possible. While your partner may love their bright red patterned rug, savour it for yourselves. Consider removing furnishings or rugs with stand-out patterns.
Rule 3: Define Rooms with appropriate finishing touches. Display fresh towels in the bathroom and make up beds with neutral linen.
Lights, Camera…
To present your property virtually, you’ll need to produce a short video walking through your abode, explaining the purpose of each room and emphasising all the winning aspects.
We’d recommend you think about what you’d like to say first. First, consider the essentials – what’s each room’s purpose? Will the property be fully-furnished or not? Second, think about what you’d like to get across to a prospective buyer – show off all the storage, mention the built-in dishwasher and washer-dryer, display outside areas, and point out any special features that drew you in too. Keep the narrative short and snappy – further details on the property will be provided via a link to the website, so don’t overthink it.
Also, consider the order you’ll show the rooms. Remember that first and last impressions count, so plan your route accordingly.
Action!
So you’re prepared and ready to go. Now for some essential iPhone or Android filming tips.
Lots of natural light is key, so plan your video for when there’s maximum light in your property. Open all blinds and curtains and turn on all lights.
Make sure you hold the camera with a steady hand and film around chest-height for the best perspective.
Finish off the video by reminding the potential buyers to get in touch with your estate agent and thanking them for their time.
Conclusion
Check out our new Virtual Viewing IGTV series on Instagram to see virtual video viewings of our stunning on the market properties. Follow us on @rickman_properties to take a peak.
If you’re looking to get your property on the market, we’d love to help. Make sure to give us a call on 0207 937 9777 with any queries!
