Video Coming Soon, see below for step-by-step instructions.
Live Virtual Showings
Let’s get started! Watch the above video (coming soon) or follow the below step-by-step instructions to get on your way to Live Virtual Showings!
•From your browser, navigate to your branded Matterport tour in a new browser window (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge recommended). You received your tour link when we delivered your Matterport tour to you. If you need us to resend this link to you, please reach out to Naomi@MountainHomePhoto.com If you’re just giving this system a trial and don’t have a tour of your own to test your Live Virtual Showing, you can use this link as your sample tour: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=MCNXQ2ghdaL
•Enlarge your browser to fill about half of your screen.
• Create a new tab and position it so you can have the two open windows side by side, then navigate to: https://www.skype.com/en/free-conference-call/
•On the Skype Meetings page, click on the Create a Free Meeting tab (See Below) and a link will be generated. Simply copy the link and share this with your client. (If the Skype system is overloaded and it cannot generate a link, you’ll either need to try again at a non-peak time, or it’s time for a slightly more complicated plan B, which involves downloading the Skype app and both users creating an account. Click here.)
• After sending the link to your client, paste the same link into your browser and your exclusive Skype Meeting page will open. You and your client can ‘Join As Guest’ to avoid having to create an account. Connect here and a live video chat will begin. You may need to click the video camera icon at the top right of the webpage to begin.
• After your introductions, look in the lower right corner of your Skype page, there is an icon of a double screen (see below). Click this button when you are ready to begin the screen sharing process with your client.
• Here’s your time to shine! - your client is now seeing exactly what is on your screen. Switch over to your Matterport tab and walk your client through the home, detailing all things you would typically point out in a traditional walk through. If you want to maximize the experience for your client, reduce the size of your Skype window and enlarge the Matterport window. This will give them a better view of things yet you will still be able to see your client in live-video.
• When you’re ready to finish screen sharing, click back to your Skype tab and stop screen sharing by clicking the same double screen icon you used to start the screen share. Click the red phone icon to end the video chat.
Live Virtual Showing Best Practices
Learn and be comfortable with the system. Test out the above process with a friend before going live with a client.
Practice how you are going to navigate through the Matterport Tour, (will you start at the front door, or jump right in to the jaw dropping view from the greatroom?)
When you Screen Share, the other party will see your entire screen, so be sure to tidy your desktop clutter and close sensitive documents.
Remember, what clients see in the background conveys a lot about who you are. This applies to the computer desktop background, and of course what is behind you during the live video chat.
Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome are supported browsers. Others including Safari may not have the same functionality.
The presentation works best when both parties are on a desktop. This is due to screen size. Though possible to do on a smartphone, your clients is going to be missing the impact of the tour. The larger the screen, the better the experience!
Be just as prepared for a Live Virtual Showing as an actual in-person showing.
Start your Matterport tour in the Dollhouse view (See Below) and slowly rotate the dollhouse. Clients unfamiliar with this 3D-type technology are usually really impressed by this!
Know how you want to present the property to the client and navigate through the house accordingly - just like you would in person.
When you pan left or right, make your movements relatively slow and smooth.
In the Matterport tour, you do not necessarily need to click on the hotspots (white circles on the floor) unless you know you want to go exactly to that specific spot. In general, you can just click in the direction of travel that you want to go regardless of where the hotspots are.
There are plenty of other apps you can use for live video and screen sharing, but we have found the above to be the easiest for everyone since it does not require either user to download software or have an account. The downside is that the Skype Meeting system seems to get overloaded easily - thus not allowing you a connection. Other options include, traditional Skype, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and Slack. Each of these offer screen sharing in addition to video chat.
Fun fact: Did you know the ruler icon at the lower left of your Matterport tour will allow you to take accurate measurements of features in the house? Client needs to know if their art will fit on a wall? How tall are those cabinets? It’s all at your fingertips!