Today, many realtors seek 3D visualization services to improve property sales. And that’s a truly reasonable choice. But since most professional 3D rendering studios offer a wide range of services, it might be a daunting task to pick the kind of CG content that’s right for your business. The most popular ones for real estate agents are static renders and virtual 3D tours. Both can give property listings the necessary boost, and both have their own pros and cons. So, virtual tours vs static render — which one should you choose?
As an architectural visualization company, we want to provide our clients with all the crucial information about those two content formats. After reading this article, you’ll be able to make the most suitable decision for your business. As a result, your real estate listings will become much more successful. And your buyers will absolutely love the experience. So, ready to find out what kind of CGI is the best option for you? Let’s go!
Pros of Virtual Tours
We’d like to begin by describing the benefits of 3D tours in the context of real estate sales. This way, you’ll get a better understanding of this type of CG content for further comparison. Now, let’s get to it!
#1. Virtual Tours Are Interactive
With 3D tours, prospects can virtually walk around a property, look into every corner, and see the place from every angle they desire using a mouse or a touchpad. With navigation and zoom-in/zoom-out buttons, potential buyers can have an immersive open house experience from the comfort of their homes, 24/7. That opportunity will save them tremendous amounts of time and energy, as well as eliminate stress and frustration from the process of finding a new home. Plus, such a tour, just like a static render as well, can showcase the full potential of residences that are yet under construction.
#2. A 3D Tour Is Highly Informative
Because virtual tours are interactive, they provide a greater deal of information compared to static images. They can give prospects a clear idea of how spacious the place actually is and what it feels like to be inside. Also, a 3D tour can feature information buttons that allow potential buyers to learn about particular furniture pieces upon clicking on them. This way, if a prospect likes certain items used in the virtual design, they can actually buy them with ease. And if the property comes furnished, they can learn more about what’s in it.
Cons of Virtual Tours
Next, we’d like to move on to the disadvantages of 3D tours. Naturally, they have some, even though they might seem like a perfect solution for real estate marketing. So, let’s see their downsides now.
#1. Virtual Tours Aren’t Too Cheap
Creating a 3D tour requires more work compared to making a static render. Because, first, CGI specialists need to produce several panoramic renders. Then, they need to assemble them into a tour using specialized software, such as Pano2VR, add hotspots and information buttons, etc. Therefore, this kind of CGI might cost a pretty penny, especially when one needs to visualize all rooms in a large house. However, the price of a virtual tour might not seem that high compared to the profits from successfully selling high-end properties.
#2. A 3D Tour Isn’t Compatible with Every Online Platform
Naturally, realtors want to put their listings on multiple online platforms, including their own websites, specialized ad boards, and social media. But fully-fledged virtual tours aren’t compatible with all of them. Luckily, most websites support this type of content, and so do lots of l mobile apps. But among social media platforms, only Facebook allows for sharing interactive visuals, and only in the form of a single panoramic render with no hotspots or navigation buttons.
Plus, one cannot use 3D tours in printed magazines and catalogs. The only option here is to put a QR code on the listing page so that readers can scan it and view the tour on their smartphone or tablet.
Pros of a Static Render
Now, to begin the virtual tours vs static render comparison, we’ll tell you about the advantages of the latter. This way, you’ll be able to decide which content format suits you and your business better. So, read on!
#1. A Static Render Is Quick and Affordable to Make
Unlike virtual tours, high-quality 3D renders can be created within just a day or two, depending on the size of a property and the complexity of the design. That also makes them much more affordable, as they require less work. Therefore, a real estate agent can easily fill all of their listings with multiple views of the homes without spending a fortune on the visuals.
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#2. Static Renders Can Be Used In Any Online or Offline Outlet
In terms of file format, a static render is just a regular image. Which means one can easily upload it to every website, ad board, or use it in a social media post. Furthermore, a photorealistic 3D render can be created in high resolution to be used in print. So, a realtor can have offline promo channels covered as well.
Cons of a Static Render
Surely, there are some cons to static 3D renders too. In this final part of the article, we want to give you all the remaining information for you to draw your own comparison. This way, you’ll get the full picture to help you make the best choice.
#1. Static Renders Are Less Informative
With a static render, prospects can only see what’s in the frame, and not an inch further. So, looking at such images might not be as informative as visiting a house in person or going on a virtual tour. However, if the realtor picks the right angles for the 3D renders, it can be more than enough to showcase the property in the best light.
#2. A Static Render Doesn’t Provide an Immersive Experience
Since there’s no interactivity in the case with static CG images, there can be no immersive experience. Therefore, potential buyers might not be able to fully feel the atmosphere of a home in the listing. And there’s no game-like action to turn the rather tedious process of searching for a new place into something more fun.
This is the end of our virtual tours vs static render comparison. As you probably can tell, both of the content formats are great for showing properties, including those that aren’t furnished and even those that aren’t built yet. That makes those two kinds of CGI indispensable for real estate agents. And now, with all this information, it’s up to you to choose the best option for your listings!
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Looking for professional 3D visualization services? Contact us at ArchiCGI and get stunning photorealistic visuals in a blink of an eye!
Ana Wayne
Content Writer, Copywriter
Ana is a content writer for ArchiCGI. She has a passion for design and architecture - and for talking about it. Outside of work, she is a fan of sci-fi movies and a street food connoisseur.
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