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For home sellers and real estate agents, creating a high-quality virtual tour is now more accessible than ever. New smartphone technology from Matterport allows anyone with a recent iPhone or iPad to produce professional-grade 3D home scans, a tool once reserved for those with expensive professional camera equipment. This development is crucial as demand for virtual walkthroughs has surged, with one major real estate portal reporting a 303% increase in views since the pandemic began. This article provides a practical comparison between smartphone and professional scans to help you choose the best option for your listing.
A Matterport 3D scan is an immersive digital model of a property that allows potential buyers to take a self-guided, virtual walkthrough from anywhere. Unlike a standard video, these scans let users control their movement, looking up, down, and around each room. For sellers, this technology is vital for attracting serious buyers. It filters out casual lookers, saving time and increasing the likelihood of receiving offers from people who have already thoroughly vetted the property online. The clarity and interactivity of these tours have made them a staple in modern real estate marketing.
The primary difference between scans boils down to image resolution and precision. In a side-by-side comparison of a scan from an iPhone 11 and one from a $3,400 Matterport Pro2 camera, the professional version offers a noticeably clearer picture quality. However, the iPhone version still successfully captures all essential home details, room layouts, and dimensions. For the vast majority of listings, the smartphone scan provides more than enough detail to give buyers a comprehensive feel for the property. The gap in quality is narrowing, making professional results achievable without a significant hardware investment.
The democratization of this technology has significant practical benefits. The most obvious is cost savings; agents and for-sale-by-owner sellers can now create compelling marketing materials without a large upfront investment in hardware. Furthermore, ease of use means scans can be created and uploaded quickly, getting listings market-ready faster. To maximize exposure, agents should ensure their Matterport scan is submitted to the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service), the database that feeds consumer websites. Many portals then promote these listings with special virtual tour icons on their search maps, making them stand out to serious buyers.
The choice depends on your goals and budget. If you are marketing a ultra-luxury property where every detail must be showcased in the highest definition possible, investing in a professional scan with a Pro2 camera may be warranted. However, for the typical residential listing, the new smartphone app is a game-changer. It delivers a highly effective virtual tour that meets modern buyer expectations. Based on our experience assessment, the iPhone scan's quality is sufficient to generate significant buyer interest and can be your first scan free through the app, making it a risk-free option to test.
In conclusion, the ability to create an immersive 3D tour is no longer a luxury. The key takeaways for sellers are:
