We Shouldn’t Judge a Book by its Cover- But We Do!

How Real Estate can take a Page from the Old School FlipBook  

Remember the first time you experienced a flipbook?  You know, the little books that had a slightly different drawing on each page.   When you quickly flipped through the pages a  story would unfold in your hands.  I can still see the Popeye flip book that my cousin Karrie Jean gave me.  It was magical.  Without a narrator, it was up to me to determine what the story was about as it flipped before my eyes.

Fast forward to 2020.  Flipping through homes on Real Estate apps and portals could be considered the modern-day flipbook of Real Estate.  There’s just one problem.  If the first picture doesn’t tell the story they want to see themselves in, they flip past it.  They move on the next, and the next, and the next until something catches their eye.  At that moment they enter the listing and begin to picture their story unfolding.

How do we get them past the “cover” and into the home that holds their next story?  We share a better flipbook.  Are they looking for the perfect kitchen, let them start there.  Are they looking for a spacious living room for their growing family? Let them measure to see if their furniture will fit.  Allow them to move at their pace.   It’s time for self-directed as well as Broker directed storytelling, here’s how you can flip the script on your listings.

3 Modern-Day Real Estate FlipBook Solutions

3-D Home Tours- The next best thing to walking into a listing is a self-directed virtual home tour.   Invite the Home Buyer into the story and let them flip through it at the speed they prefer, allowing them to stop and take in the elements most important to them.  In a 3-D tour, they can get up close and personal with the cabinetry, click on appliance tags to view their warranty, check out the floor plan, and view a 3-D model of the home.   To get started, ask your photographer/videographer if they offer 3-D Matterport tours.  Or if you are the DIY type, check out an option like Asteroom .

Facebook Live Home Tours- First, announce your Live Home Tour a couple of days in advance.  While on the air, answer questions in real-time and share the home’s highlights while reducing the number of people entering the home and identifying who is most likely to buy it.  After recording, the live video will remain on your Facebook timeline and continue to generate interest and help identify potential Home Buyers possibly more listings.

Pre-record a walkthrough video- Whether it is professionally shot or it’s recorded on your cell phone, walkthrough videos showcase the home in a more connected way. To prepare your script for the video, interview the Homeowners in advance with the questions in this VIRTUAL TOUR BLUEPRINT . Incorporate their stories into the video to increase interest and create a more personal experience.   You can choose to be the star of the video or stay behind the camera and moderate.  Next, offer your walkthrough video to brokers that have potential Home Buyers, email to your clients, share on Social.

Start Here!  I’ve included a  VIRTUAL TOUR BLUEPRINT to help you storyboard and script your broker-guided video tours.

Bring back the flipbook and invite more Home Buyers into your listings while having fewer visitors in your Seller’s home.

PS.  Need to tour with your Home Buyers without getting face-to-face?  Set up a ZOOM video conference and flip through listings on your screen together while getting real-time visual feedback.