The entire world came to a standstill last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All national and international businesses were impacted. The real estate business was also affected in the initial months like all other businesses. However, slowly, real estate agents understood that with the help of video conferencing technology, it was possible to continue working from home.
The realtors along with their clients since then have decided to move to the virtual space. Video conferencing makes it possible to meet with clients and hold virtual home tours. Although it may seem a little impersonal, you can make clients and prospective home buyers more comfortable by offering gifts for virtual events. Ultimately giving attendees gifts is a fantastic way to make a positive first impression and can help to build a connection with clients and buyers remotely.
Now there are many video conferencing software available, but our experts prefer Zoom for meetings because of the extensive features and settings that Zoom offers on both the free and paid accounts. We would advise starting with the free account, and then based upon your usage and requirements, opt for the upgrades.
Zoom Video Conferencing Tips For A Real Estate Agent
These are some of the features and tips which are helpful in conducting a professional online session that all real estate agents should be familiar with.
1. Enable Zoom And Calendar Integration
Zoom offers an extensive range of integration functions. One of the first things you should set up is the integration of Zoom with your business calendar. By integrating your Google or Outlook calendar with the platform, you can conveniently schedule, join, and manage all of your meetings, send reminders for meetings and webinars, and cancel a meeting, if needed, at the click of a single button.
2. Use Zoom Virtual Backgrounds
You may have seen countless funny videos of people using virtual backgrounds. However, as a real estate agent, you are going to be using this for professional reasons, so you must learn the proper way to use them. You would have to check the following to ensure that your meeting does not end up as a funny unprofessional video. You can use this virtual background to create a more professional image by displaying your business logo or company name.
Powerful Computer
The processing power of your computer is what enables you to use these backgrounds, so make sure that you have a processor with adequate speed. You can check your system settings on Zoom. You will have a choice to choose between a photo or a video background.
Background Screen
In some cases, due to lower camera and computer processor speeds, you may have to invest in a green screen. This will enable the software to adequately project your background correctly. A professional background is essential as it will help you to build rapport with your buyers and sellers.
3. Utilize Zoom Virtual Meetings
Learn how to be prepare and conduct your Zoom virtual conferencing properly, whether it is with your clients or anything else professional.
Client Meetings
For clients, it would be helpful if you could share your computer screen and walk them through all of the details. Training them on the important aspects of how the meeting would be conducted will help them immensely. For a virtual listing appointment, prepare a set of slides. You can also include all of the property images, and then you can share the screen in such a way that your clients would be able to see both the slides and your video feed.
Real Estate Agents Business Meetings
When you are conducting office meetings, give proper training to all realtors on your team. Ask all real estate agents to be ready with their respective information and data. This will ensure that the meeting time is not wasted. Have a proper agenda and inform all of the realtors about the order of your meetings.
4. Enhance Your Professional Appearance
Even though the meetings are virtual, professionalism is a must in the real estate industry. Based on your preferences, dress the way you would when you are meeting your clients in person. You can also use in-built tools in Zoom to enhance your appearance. This will ensure that your buyers and sellers are able to feel confident in the realtor services that you are offering.
5. Learn About Lighting
Learn how to properly place your camera and adjust the light. These two tools are integral to create seamless video conferencing. You can even invest in a ring light if you feel that your home office position is not ideal in terms of brightness.
6. Zoom Meeting Tools For Going Live
One of the keys to success with the help of Zoom is to use the live feature that Zoom offers. Real estate agents can conduct live open houses or live showcases of their listings. The clients can join the meeting from the safety and comforts of their home.
Plan everything in advance before going live. Practice it a few times so that you do not fumble. Always test all of the equipment such as the camera, microphone, and any Zoom advanced features that you are planning to use so that there are no lags in the live session. Your aim should be that a client who joins this session should feel as if they are actually taking a walk around the property.
7. Understand Zoom Technology
In Zoom, depending upon the account you have opted for, you will have access to different features and resources. Learn how each feature can help you enhance your online session. There are many posts about these. Go through those posts and start using these features. Even the free account gives you a lot of benefits.
For instance, the feature to record the session is indeed a boom for the professionals. This tool records and saves all of your sessions, which allows you to go back and check for any detail. It can also be a key to focus and identify aspects that you can improve upon. You can even share the recordings with any realtor who might have missed the meeting.
You can tour a property with a client with your phone, and if a deciding member was not there during your video, you can share the recorded copy with them. An important note is that you should get written consent that you are recording a property prior to doing this.
Summary
Zoom meetings and video conferencing have become the new reality in the real estate business. It is vital for real estate agents to adapt to this massive change in the way the business is conducted in the industry and help their clients to this new mode of conducting real estate transactions. The above-mentioned Zoom tips can help realtors access the wide range of features provided by Zoom and learn how to include them to offer better services to their clients.
The beauty about Zoom is that it can integrate into home selling platforms like Dorrmat via their custom API. This way the homeowners can schedule meetings with you on your platform-based website. They can also tour their house with you via zoom if they have the zoom app on their phone.
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