Advice on setting up a website with virtual tours?

[Joshua Biondi]

I’m in the process of refining the way I handle viewings with potential tenants. I have a number of units, and with working a day job, scheduling in-person viewings for each prospective tenant has become far too time consuming.

I’m hoping to set up a relatively cheap website that will provide virtual tours, then I will email the application if interested, and then from there I will meet them to collect application/fee and do an in-person viewing.

I would love some recommendations on the most cost effective way to do this. I don’t have the money to hire an expensive web designer at the moment. Someone suggested possibly having a student in school for web design do the website and set things up for me.

Has anyone done this, or could someone recommend the most cost effective way to have the site and virtual tour set up? I have no idea where to look or where to start. Any advice would be helpful. TIA!

[Brian Sparr]

Hi @Joshua Biondi -

If you're wanting people to submit an application and pay you a fee before they've ever stepped foot inside the property, I'm going to guess that your virtual tour will need to be pretty impressive.  The best on the market, that I'm aware of, is a Matterport 3D tour.

Do a search in your local market for real estate photographers that agents are using when they need to market a listing - depending on your market, I'm guessing you'll find a handful of photographers that offer the Matterport tour as part of one of their packages.  There's a good chance they bundle in a single-property website as part of that package, too.  If they do, you're all set - you'll have photos, a 3D tour and a hosted website done for you.

Good luck!