A virtual tour can show how rooms are connected and which areas belong to the property being offered. To achieve that, the commission must specify more than just “a nice video”. The following in-house editorial method leads from the choice of format to the approval of an Austrian sales presentation. It is not a guarantee that a tour can replace a personal viewing or technical inspection.
The brief determines the format
First write down what viewers should understand from the presentation. Is it about the relationship between several levels, an initial overview from a distance, or specific follow-up questions? Only then decide what will be recorded or shown live.
- recorded film – Suitable own brief: show a comprehensible route with explained transitions; limitation that remains: viewing direction and selection are determined by the production
- interactive tour – Suitable own brief: enable independent orientation between approved viewpoints; limitation that remains: areas and details not recorded remain unseen
- live-guided appointment – Suitable own brief: show an agreed route and respond immediately to questions; limitation that remains: access, connection and actual demonstrability limit the appointment
A smaller suitable format is more sensible than a technically elaborate result without a clear informational gain. Avoid descriptions that suggest comprehensive three-dimensional measurement or inspection if you only have a sequence of images produced.
Make the production brief verifiable
Specify the property, the shown unit, the recording day, approved rooms, output format and planned publication venues. Determine who provides access, who supplies factual information and who reviews the final version. Also name omitted areas and the reason for their omission, as far as this is factually necessary.
Describe the expected result: a route that can be followed with the floor plan, visible changes of floor and building sections, appropriate room labels and a clear way to make further enquiries. Agree in advance which corrections, files, runtimes and later changes are included in the commission. A specific resolution alone does not answer these quality questions.
Separate recording, people and publication
Coordinate actual access and recording with the affected users. Authorisation to enter a flat does not automatically resolve all questions of public publication. Remove personal letters, screen contents, access codes and other private information unnecessary for the presentation. Check reflections and the audio track as well.
Where the DSGVO applies, in particular purpose limitation, data minimisation and an appropriate legal basis for the processing of personal data must be observed. [DSGVO-5-6] This article does not assess which legal basis or which data-protection role your specific commission has. A public tour containing residents’ data is not justified solely by ownership of the building.
Clarify usage rights for film, images, floor plans, music and other third-party material for the intended channels. Austrian copyright law generally reserves the public making available of protected works to the author. [URHG-18A] Have the agreed scope documented in a traceable way; “found on the internet” or payment for a recording is not a complete licence check.
Require a spatially honest recording
Our recommendation: walk the route first without the camera. Show how rooms are actually reached. An edited transition must not invent a connection; a walk-through room should remain understandable as such. Separate outbuildings and inaccessible rooms should be recognisably placed.
Relevant limitations are not erased by favourable framing. Pay particular attention to room proportions, bottlenecks and the relationship with the floor plan. Editing can support brightness and comprehensibility; altered fittings or virtual furnishing must be recognisable as a representation. A visible feature must not be turned into a technical guarantee without evidence.
In commercial marketing a deceptive presentation of material characteristics or withholding of essential information can fall under § 2 UWG. [UWG-2] Whether its scope is engaged in a specific sale must be examined separately. The editorial requirement for a comprehensible presentation applies here regardless as its own quality standard.
Organising the release as a complete review
Watch the entire film or check all accessible viewpoints and directions of view in an interactive tour. Listen to the entire soundtrack. Compare overlays with the released state of the property. Ask a person with no prior knowledge of the property to trace the route on the floor plan: if an important transition is missing for them, a specific correction can be identified.
Test the intended access on the devices actually supported. Check operation, legible instructions and contact options. For an external viewer, hosting, access, additional data processing, agreed duration and removal of the content before use must be clarified. A hard-to-find link is not a promise of confidential access.
A fictional brief with a clear correction outcome
In the fictional example, a house has a workroom with a separate entrance. In the first edit of the film, this follows immediately after the kitchen and appears to be an ancillary room to it. The seller does not generally complain about the style, but specifically about the missing spatial separation.
The revised version shows the actual route and identifies the separate access. A displayed furnishing option is labelled; current inventory views remain available. The release then names the examined file and the intended channels. This way a specific information gap is remedied without digitally altering the property.
Maintaining the record after release
Keep the commission, clarified usage rights and the released version together. Determine who will check, replace or remove the presentation in the event of changed condition or a withdrawn listing. Also check direct releases and embeddings that might otherwise continue alongside a new version.
State the recording date and recognisable boundaries in the listing. Refer to the rest of the property information and provide a way to ask further questions or arrange a viewing. A tour has fulfilled its purpose when it provides comprehensible orientation and makes the remaining checks visible.