OVERVIEW
A virtual home tour is an interactive online walk-through of a home for sale, offered as a 3D or 360-degree model, a live agent-led video call, or a pre-recorded video. Active adult homebuyers relocating to a 55+ community can use virtual tours to compare layouts and narrow a shortlist before traveling. Buying sight unseen is possible, but a home inspection and an in-person visit reduce risk.
Shopping for homes is exciting and challenging at the same time. The prospect of buying a home and planting your roots in a different location brings forth many emotions. Whether you’re searching for your dream retirement home, looking for the perfect vacation retreat, or downsizing from a large family home, buying a home is a big decision that requires thoughtful research and consideration.
Walking through every home in person isn’t always practical, especially when you’re relocating to another state for retirement. That’s why virtual tours have become a standard, long-term part of house hunting. For many buyers, the search now starts online, well before anyone books a flight.
Through virtual house hunting, active adult homebuyers can browse online real estate listings, embark on a virtual home tour, and even buy a house online, all without leaving the comfort and safety of home. By attending a virtual open house, homebuyers can explore a home that catches their eye and get a feel for the layout, design, and lighting. Just because house hunters can’t see a home in person doesn’t mean they can’t get a sense of whether a home is a good fit. It just requires a new approach.
Virtual house hunting offers great convenience and value, especially when you keep best practices in mind and know what to look for. Read on to learn the types of virtual tours, what to look for on screen, and whether you can buy without visiting.
What Is a Virtual Home Tour?
Virtual home tours allow homebuyers to explore homes from a distance. Put simply, a virtual home tour is a visual walk-through of a home for sale. It goes beyond photos and videos by creating a more realistic experience for prospective homebuyers. When you go on a virtual home tour, you can remotely step into a room and view every corner with a few clicks of your mouse.
A virtual home tour is also interactive, allowing prospective homebuyers to engage with different features of the home. When you’re watching a video of a home, you can only go down the path that’s laid out for you. You can also only see what the seller or real estate agent chooses to show in the video. However, on a virtual home tour, you can browse the home at your own pace and explore where you want. Since most online home tours give you full control of your view, you can move between rooms when you wish and fully adjust your viewing angle. This is another reason why standard videos don’t qualify as true virtual home tours.
The best virtual home tours duplicate the experience of touring a home in person. So even while you might not be able to physically visit the homes for sale that pique your interest, you can still get a good feel for what it’s like to be there in person.
Types of Virtual Tours
Virtual tours come in three main types, and each one shows you something different.
- 3D or 360-degree walkthroughs are self-guided and interactive. They’re most useful early on, when you’re comparing layouts across several homes.
- Live video tours put an agent in the home with you on a video call. They’re most useful once a home makes your shortlist, since you can ask questions in real time.
- Pre-recorded video walkthroughs follow a set path chosen by the seller or agent. They’re good for a quick first impression, but they only show what the camera was pointed at.
Pairing two types for the same home, such as a 3D walkthrough and a live video tour, gives you a fuller picture.
Benefits of an Online Home Tour
Wherever you want to move, virtual house hunting makes it easy to explore and browse homes anywhere. Since you’re no longer limited to exploring homes for sale in your local area, you can expand your search. By taking an online home tour instead of visiting homes in person, you significantly expand your options.
To make the best use of your time, virtual house hunting beats the traditional method of shopping for homes in person. You can view and explore more homes in a day since you don’t have to travel to see them. And since you can take an online home tour from your personal computer or smartphone, you also save on transportation costs. There’s no need to spend gas driving all over town or booking airfare to see homes in other cities or states.
Additionally, it’s hard to beat an online home tour for convenience. You can look at homes any time, day or night, on your own schedule, then loop in an agent once a few stand out. When the mood strikes, all you need to do is log on to your computer or reach for your smartphone to start browsing. You don’t need to set an appointment with anyone or even leave your home.
Browsing remotely also helps you narrow your shortlist before you travel. When you do plan a trip, you can spend it on the homes and communities that matter most instead of driving between showings.
55places Partner Agents can run live video tours and answer questions about specific communities. When you’re ready for that step, you can connect with a local 55+ expert.
What to Look For in a Virtual Home Tour
When you find a home for sale you’d like to explore in more detail, it’s time to go on an online home tour. If you’re accustomed to attending in-home showings and visiting in person with real estate agents, it’s helpful to keep a few pointers in mind. On a virtual home tour, you can take as much time as you like browsing various homes, but you should also know what to look for.
Physical Location
First, know exactly where your prospective new home is located. You can do this by going to Google Earth and entering the street address in the search box. Look at nearby houses, amenities, and attractions. Pay attention to the home’s landscaping. Does it have a pool? Is it near a lake or the ocean? Does it check off several boxes on your wish list when it comes to surroundings?
Also, note how close you are to your nearest neighbor. If you’re looking to live in a community with plenty of neighbors nearby, you might be disappointed if you see your closest neighbor is farther away than you’d like.
Day and Night
When you take a virtual home tour, it’s also important to get a feel for what the property looks like during the day and at night. Look for a virtual open house that lets you see the property in all lighting. As you look at the actual home, stay mindful of the surroundings. For example, if you’re hoping to live on a quiet street, you may not be happy if you notice a fair amount of traffic passing through. Look for local community offerings that matter to you. For example, if you want to live near a library, tennis club, or hospital, check whether your potential home is close to these places.
The Community Beyond the Front Door
In a 55+ community, the home is only part of what you’re choosing. Before you fall for a floor plan, picture what a typical week there might look like. Maybe it’s a morning swim, a pickleball game with neighbors, and a Thursday book club in the clubhouse.
A virtual tour of the house won’t show you that, so look into the community itself:
- Look for photos, videos, or virtual tours of the clubhouse, pool, fitness center, and other shared amenities.
- Ask for a current activity calendar to see which clubs, classes, and social events happen each week.
- Find out the homeowners association (HOA) fees, what they cover, and how they’ve changed over time.
- Review the community’s age-restriction policies, including rules for residents under 55 and overnight guests.
To compare costs before you tour, review home prices and HOA fees by state. You can also browse 55+ communities by location to see amenities and lifestyle details side by side.
Best Practices for Virtual House Hunting
Virtual house hunting is quite different than the traditional homebuying experience. While you can browse communities all over the country and shop from the comfort of your pajamas, it helps to keep a few best practices in mind.
Keep an Open Mind
Stay flexible as you go into the process. House hunting can bring out a range of emotions, especially when you’re planning a move to a new place. When you try a new way to shop for homes, it’s easy to feel intimidated. Instead of letting unfamiliar technology hold you back, open yourself up to the potential in front of you.
Whether you choose to buy a house online or you decide you want to wait to make a purchase, you have the whole world at your fingertips. Take some time to explore it. You never know what you might find.
Set Yourself Up for Success
To have a positive experience with virtual house hunting, start with a strong foundation. This often starts with a solid, reliable internet connection. It’s frustrating when you’re trying to read, watch, or listen to something online and all you see is a spinning wheel as the page loads.
To avoid this during the virtual house-hunting process, check your internet connection. You can speed up your Wi-Fi in several ways, including simply resetting your router. For 3D tours, a tablet or larger screen makes it easier to see details like finishes and room proportions.
Make a List of Your Wants and Needs
While virtual house hunting and touring homes in person differ in many ways, they also share some similarities. One example is a wish list. It’s always helpful to come up with a list of amenities and features you’d like to see in your dream home.
Once you make a list, qualify each item as a “must-have” or “nice-to-have.” For example, you might like the look of a farmhouse sink, but you might not truly need it. However, you might need a walk-in shower, so add that to your “must-have” column.
Document Your Progress
Throughout the virtual house hunting process, you’ll likely see many homes. It can be hard to keep them all separate and remember the distinctive features of each home you toured. That’s why a best practice is to document your progress.
You can list each home in a Word document with the address and a few bullet points of what you liked or didn’t like, or you can dedicate a journal to your virtual house hunting journey and take notes on each home.
Taking time to make notes on each property helps you remember your overall thoughts on the home and how you felt as you went through the virtual home tour. Choose the format that you feel most comfortable with and stay consistent as you continue your home search.
Can You Buy a Home Using Only Virtual Tours?
Yes, you can buy a home sight unseen. It can make sense when a long-distance move makes frequent travel hard.
The trade-off is what a screen leaves out. A virtual tour can’t tell you how a home smells, how loud the street gets, or how big a room really feels. It may also miss condition issues, such as water stains or uneven floors, that the camera doesn’t catch.
You can reduce that risk with a few steps:
- Ask your agent for a live video tour so you can direct the camera and ask questions.
- Request specific angles, such as ceilings, windows, under sinks, and the view from the back patio.
- Review the seller’s disclosures and ask your agent about anything that’s unclear.
- Ask your agent about a home inspection contingency, and attend the inspection by video.
- Schedule a final walk-through by video if you can’t travel before closing.
When possible, plan at least one in-person visit to the community before you commit. A short trip can show you how the neighborhood sounds at night and how residents spend their days.
Every purchase is different, so talk with a licensed real estate agent about what makes sense for yours. You can also prepare for each stage of the purchase with a 55+ homebuyer’s guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the meaning of a virtual tour?
A virtual tour is an online walk-through of a home that lets you explore it remotely. The most common versions are interactive 3D or 360-degree models, live video tours led by an agent, and pre-recorded walkthrough videos. Unlike listing photos, a true virtual tour lets you control what you see by moving between rooms and changing your viewing angle. For buyers relocating to another state, it’s a practical way to understand a home’s layout before deciding whether the trip is worth it.
Are virtual tours worth it when buying a home?
Usually, yes, especially when the homes you’re considering are far away. A virtual tour helps you rule out homes that don’t fit and build a focused shortlist before you travel. The candid caveat is that a screen can’t show everything. Smells, noise, room scale, and some condition issues are easier to judge in person. Pair virtual tours with a live video walkthrough, a home inspection, and an in-person visit when possible.
How much does a virtual tour cost?
For buyers, viewing a virtual tour is typically free. Sellers and listing agents usually arrange 3D tours and walkthrough videos to market a home. Buyers can view them right on the listing. Live video tours are generally part of working with an agent, not a separate service. If a home you like doesn’t have a virtual tour, ask the listing agent or your own agent whether one can be arranged.
What is the best way to take a virtual tour?
Start with the listing’s 3D tour, if one is available, and move through every room at your own pace. Take notes on layout, light, and anything you want to see more closely. Then request a live video tour so an agent can show you those details and answer questions in real time. A tablet or larger screen and a reliable internet connection will help you see finishes and proportions more clearly.
Can you create your own virtual tour of your home?
You can, but if you’re selling, your listing agent typically arranges the virtual tour. Your agent may work with a professional photographer to create a 3D tour or walkthrough video for the listing. Ask about this when you interview agents, so you know what’s included.
House Hunting in a New Era
Virtual tools are now a permanent part of how people buy homes, especially for long-distance retirement moves. You don’t have to put your homebuying dreams on hold until you can travel. Technology allows you to see homes up close and personal.
While it might feel unusual to go on a virtual home tour or to shop for your next home online, virtual house hunting offers many benefits to active adult homebuyers. Consider the guidance above before going on your first online home tour. You might be surprised at the convenience of online house hunting and find the perfect match sooner than you think. Contact 55places.com today!
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