Virtual tour technology company Made Snappy is providing expert advice to sales and letting agents who are interested in doing virtual property tours but don't know where to start. The firm has detailed the kit required, along with helpful points about how to achieve high-quality shots quickly and easily.

“Many people assume that you need to spend thousands on a camera before you can shoot a good-quality virtual tour, but that's simply not the case any longer. Yes, you can spend £3,000 on a camera if you wish, but you can also get the same 4K quality from several more budget-friendly models. You don't need to spend more than £250-£400 to produce top-quality images.”

Mark McCorrie, CEO and Founder, Made Snappy

The quality of the 360 camera used to capture the images is certainly key, so Made Snappy CEO Mark McCorrie advises agents to do their research carefully. He personally recommends the Xiaomi Mi-sphere, Insta 360 and Ricoh Theta, all of which are user-friendly and produce high quality 360° images. 

A sturdy, good quality tripod is also essential. Specialist options for 360 cameras come with an ultra-small footprint. This avoids there being a large black obstruction in the captured images, as is the case when a standard tripod is used. Made Snappy's advice is to opt for a light stand trip and then extend it to chest height. Doing so ensures that the images are taken from a natural standing height, rather than an angle that means the viewer will end up looking up at the room.  

“When you're buying a tripod, grab an aerial stick as well. A three-metre-long stick will enable you to capture drone-like aerial shots from a height of 5.5 metres, which is absolutely ideal. You'll need a tripod bag too, to protect your equipment when travelling to and from properties.”

Mark McCorrie, CEO and Founder, Made Snappy

The final piece of kit is an SD card, if the camera doesn't have a built-in memory. A high-speed card will mean that images can be captured and stored quickly and efficiently.

A total budget of £350 should be sufficient to cover everything – a fact which surprises many agents just beginning to look into virtual tours, according to Made Snappy's Mark:

“Camera technology has come incredibly far in recent years, you can get an awful lot for your money these days. Buying the kit you need to start creating virtual tours doesn't cost the Earth and nor does Made Snappy; most agents can get by with £49 a month, which allows them to create a tour of all of their properties.”

Delivering cost efficiencies is a cornerstone of Made Snappy's approach, with Mark having developed proprietary virtual tour software that provides estate agents with a number of unique features, from lead capture to view counters. It is an approach which has led to Made Snappy becoming one of the fastest-growing virtual tour companies in the UK, with clients including Pattinsons, Martin & Co and Hunters.

“Virtual tours were given a boost during the pandemic, when agents weren't able to offer in-person property viewings. However, what we've seen is that both estate and letting agents are sticking with providing virtual tours even now we're out of lockdown. Virtual tours mean that agents can use their time more efficiently and more effectively, which is why so many are keen to find out how they can get started.”

Mark McCorrie, CEO and Founder, Made Snappy

With the right kit in hand, the virtual tour creation process is easy. Simply place the 360 camera on its tripod in the centre of the room, leave the room and then use a smartphone to take the pictures (you operate the camera through a free app). Upload the pictures to the Made Snappy website, select a preloaded branding template, link the images and the virtual tour is ready to be loaded to your CRM to sync with property portals. The total time to create a three-bedroom house tour is around 20 minutes.

For more information, please call 01752 545 828, email contact@madesnappy.co.uk or visit https://www.madesnappy.co.uk/