3D tours buyers can walk from anywhere
Matterport-style 3D walkthroughs of the inside, 360° aerial panoramas of the outside, and the branded and unbranded links each listing channel needs.
A model of the home, not a slideshow
A 3D virtual tour lets a buyer move through a home on screen, choosing where to go and where to look. The Matterport-style tours most clients ask for are built from scans: a camera on a tripod captures a full 360° image and depth information at one spot, moves a short distance, and captures again. Software lines the scans up into a model of the home. The buyer sees it three ways: walking from point to point, a dollhouse view of the whole house cut open, and a floor plan view from above.
A simpler kind of tour links 360° photos together without depth data. It is quicker to capture and fine for small spaces, but it has no dollhouse view and no measured model. Both kinds can start outside with a 360° aerial panorama: the drone hovers at one point and shoots a full sphere of overlapping frames, which are stitched into one image the buyer can spin around to see the lot, the street and the view in every direction.
Tours work hardest for buyers who cannot visit: people relocating from another province or country, investors, and anyone short-listing from a distance. They also cut wasted showings.
How a 3D tour shoot runs
Prepare the home
Same prep as photography, plus doors open between rooms, mirrors and large glass noted, and every personal item you would not want a stranger to study put away. A tour shows everything, not just the chosen angles.
Scan room by room
The camera is moved every short distance through each room and hallway so the scans overlap. People leave each room as it is scanned, or step behind the camera.
Capture the outside
Scans on decks, patios and yards where the light allows, and a 360° aerial panorama or two from the drone for context.
Build and check the model
Scans are aligned, gaps and misalignments fixed, the start point and highlights chosen, and labels or notes added to rooms and features.
Publish two links
A branded link with your name and details for your website and social, and an unbranded link for the MLS virtual tour field. Both are posted to the project.
Branded and unbranded tours on the MLS
| Unbranded tour | Branded tour | |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | The property only: no agent or brokerage name, logo, phone, email or website links | Agent and brokerage name, logo, contact details, links |
| Where it goes | The MLS virtual tour field, which many boards in both Canada and the United States require to be unbranded | Your website, social media, email, print QR codes, and any branded field your board provides |
| Why the rule exists | MLS listings are syndicated to many sites and seen by other agents' clients. Boards do not want the listing field used to pull buyers to one brokerage | Your own marketing channels are yours to brand |
| What happens if it is wrong | Boards can remove the link, ask for a correction or apply their own penalties | No MLS issue, but check your regulator's advertising rules |
| Check | Rules vary by board and change; read your board's current rules | Brokerage advertising policy applies |
Where 3D tours cause trouble
The tour shows too much
Security panels, prescription bottles, children's names on bedroom doors, keys, mail, and the layout of a home that will stay online after the sale.
The tour disappears
Tours are hosted online. If the hosting lapses or the account closes, the link stops working, sometimes while the listing is still live.
Tour measurements used as the official size
The model can measure a room, and someone quotes that as the square footage without saying how it was measured.
Branded link in the MLS field
The listing gets flagged and the tour is removed at the busiest point of the launch.
Who uses a 3D tour
Out-of-town buyer
- They need from you
- To judge the layout, the light and the flow before flying in.
- You need from them
- A complete model with no gaps and a clear starting point.
- On the DroneLink record
- Tour link on the listing and in the agent's follow-up.
Property manager
- They need from you
- Tours for rentals that cut down showings and help screen applicants.
- You need from them
- Access between tenants and a vacant or tidy unit.
- On the DroneLink record
- Tours stored per unit in the project for re-use between tenancies.
Developer or builder
- They need from you
- A show-home tour for pre-sales and a record of finishes.
- You need from them
- The show home finished and staged.
- On the DroneLink record
- Tour and photos kept with the rest of the project media; see builders and contractors.
Insurer or adjuster
- They need from you
- A record of the condition and contents of a property.
- You need from them
- The owner's consent and a clear purpose.
- On the DroneLink record
- A dated tour in the project serves as a condition record.
Putting the tour where buyers will see it
Most tour platforms give you a link and an embed code. The link goes in the MLS field and in emails. The embed code places the tour in a page on your website so buyers stay on your site. Social platforms rarely play tours inside the post, so a short video clip of the tour with a link works better there; see social video.
For commercial property, hotels and venues, a tour does a different job. It lets event planners check a room layout, lets tenants see a suite, and gives facilities teams a visual record. See commercial and hospitality.
Questions
What is a Matterport tour?
Matterport is a widely used 3D tour format. A camera captures scans with 360° images and depth data through the home, and software builds a model buyers can walk through, view as a dollhouse or see as a floor plan. It sits alongside photography in most packages.
Can I put a branded virtual tour on the MLS?
Usually not in the virtual tour field. Many boards in Canada and the United States require that link to be unbranded, with no agent or brokerage names, logos or contact details. Some boards provide a separate branded field. Check your board's current rules.
How long does it take to scan a house for a 3D tour?
It depends on the size and layout of the home. A condo is much quicker than a large house with many rooms and outdoor spaces. Plan for the tour to add time to a photo shoot.
How is a 360° aerial panorama made?
The drone hovers at one point and captures a full sphere of overlapping photos, which are stitched into one image. Viewers can spin it to look in any direction. It is often used as the first view of a tour.
Are 3D tour measurements accurate?
They are useful for checking a room size or whether furniture will fit. For advertised square footage, use a measured floor plan instead.
Can a 3D tour be removed after the house sells?
Yes, if you ask. Tours stay online while hosted, so ask for the tour to be taken down or set private when the sale closes, particularly for the owner's security.
Is a 3D tour worth it for a rental?
For rentals with many applicants or out-of-town tenants, a tour cuts down showings. The same tour can be reused between tenancies if the unit has not changed.
Tell us about your Vancouver site.
An address and what you need is enough to start. We reply with the price, who will fly it and when.