Open House Alternatives: Showing Your StreetEasy Listings Remotely

At the onset of COVID, StreetEasy launched new features to help agents get listings in front of virtual home shoppers.  Now, we find consumers expect virtual options before they elect to visit an open house in-person. To help your clients with their digital searches, here are the best ways to get your listings in front of shoppers before they elect to visit in-person.

3D Home Virtual Tours

Add a tour to any listing using Zillow’s free 3D Home app. Let buyers and renters explore your listing on their own! Virtual tours create a more engaging presentation, and can now be featured on any StreetEasy listing.

To create one, follow our step-by-step guide. You can also read more about the app, including exclusive camera discounts, here.

Check to make sure you’re compliant with the latest social distancing practices in NYC, and if you cannot visit in-person, use this comprehensive guide to help your client (or the current tenant) create a virtual tour.

Walkthrough Videos

Give potential clients a sense of the space with a walkthrough video. This can be an existing clip that highlights the unit (or a similar one within the same building).

Show them everything you’d want to see: the front of the building, the entrance, the hallway, and what it’s like to walk through the front door. Be sure to show them every room, the view out the window, the size of the closets — even that the appliances and plumbing work. Hey, you’d want to know! 

Final videos should be uploaded to Vimeo or Youtube. To add the video to your listings, just click the Photos & Media tab within any direct entry. Your listing video will appear in the photo carousel.

Video Chat Tours

A live video chat tour gives your clients the opportunity to ask questions in real time and ultimately explore the apartment their way.

To host a video chat tour, simply hold a call over FaceTime or your preferred video chat app. Don’t forget to still dress nice for the occasion, you’re on-camera after all.

Virtual Open Houses

You may choose to offer a Virtual Open House instead of an in-person tour. Begin the setup as you typically would: in the direct entry modal on StreetEasy. Choose the new ‘Virtual’ event type at the top of the page and add the remaining details to schedule your showing. You’ll need to provide a Zoom link for your confirmed Virtual Open House.

Besides safety, this contact-free tour option offers a number of benefits. For one, you can host an unlimited number of attendees. Virtual Open Houses may also run up to three hours, though we recommend hosting for a much shorter window of time. Once you’ve scheduled a showing, we also suggest modifying a few preferences within Zoom.

Find the “Schedule Meeting” screen on Zoom. Then click:

• Video Section: Ensure Host is turned on and Participants is off
• Calendar Section: Check the box Other Calendars
• Advanced Options: Check the box to Mute participants upon entry

Listing Features on the StreetEasy Blog

You want to get your listings in front of New Yorkers, and we want to help! That’s why we’re continuing to highlight beautiful active listings on the StreetEasy blog. To have your listing considered for a feature, kindly submit your listing to tips@streeteasy.com.