Live Stream Open Houses Continue to Rise in Popularity

Never have live stream open houses ever been more popular in the real estate world.

Since the feature was made available on REALTOR.ca in April, there have been more than 24,800 live stream open houses conducted by more than 2,600 REALTORS® across Canada.

That’s a lot of people who have been saved from potential exposure to the virus responsible for COVID-19.

As COVID-19 cases continue to climb in areas of the country once again, CREA is reminding REALTORS® to continue practicing safe physical distancing measures and to take advantage of online tools, such as live stream open houses, to promote their listings. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, REALTORS® have demonstrated leadership and have made protecting the health and safety of their clients a priority, while continuing to offer services essential to the economy.

“It’s never been easier to engage the public and other REALTORS® through the use of technology,” said Patrick Pichette, VP of REALTOR.ca. “Remember, you can highlight and promote your non-traditional open houses using live-streaming services directly on your REALTOR.ca listings.”

Fun fact: REALTOR.ca traffic is at an all-time high! Visitors are up 36.7% compared to the same time last year, and more than two million leads have been generated from REALTOR.ca—up 37.6% from last year.

Leverage the 12 virtual tour and video services that REALTOR.ca supports by live streaming your open houses. REALTORS® have the flexibility to integrate rich contextual experiences directly into REALTOR.ca listing pages.

Virtual tour: a pre-recorded or pre-existing, static digital exposure of a property. This includes pre-recorded video tours, 360-degree panoramic images, 3D digital tours, and pre-recorded showings available for playback.

Live stream open house: a real-time, interactive digital open house at a scheduled time where an agent can communicate with potential buyers via a live video service.

By the way, adding virtual content to your listing can pay huge dividends, REALTOR.ca visitors who view videos and virtual tours are 48% more likely to reach out to a REALTOR®. Additionally, 88% of visitors who view REALTOR.ca listings click on the photos.