On a recent Reddit thread, someone asked whether people still use Matterport or virtual tours. Most of the responses were positive — brokers, buyers, and even developers shared that virtual tours still play a vital role in how people experience properties, especially post-pandemic.
But one comment caught my attention. A user wrote:
“I’ve used it but stopped. I feel that a well shot and edited video does a better job leading the prospective buyer through the house as opposed to having the buyer ‘walk’ through it on their own via a Matterport.”
It seemed harmless. Even reasonable. But if you talk to real estate marketers and developers as much as I do, you’ll recognize something deeper. This exact line of reasoning — almost word for word — comes up constantly.
And it’s wrong. Not just wrong, but broken logic. It’s a perfect snapshot of how many professionals in real estate misunderstand the buyer’s experience.
Let’s break it down.
Why should someone buying a home — arguably the most personal, most expensive thing they’ll ever purchase — want less control over how they explore it?
Imagine going into a clothing store and being told: “Don’t touch anything. We’ll dress you.”
Or walking into a Porsche dealership and the salesperson says: “You want a test drive? I’ll drive. You just sit there.”
You’d walk out. Immediately.
Because autonomy matters. Especially when you’re evaluating something that needs to fit you.
And yet in real estate, this bizarre logic persists — that a buyer is better served by watching a pre-choreographed video tour instead of getting to walk through the space themselves. That they should see only what the agent wants them to see, from the angles the agent prefers, at the pace the agent dictates.
If you’re showing a real property, this is annoying. But if you’re showing a future property — something that doesn’t even exist yet — it’s worse. Now it’s not just annoying. It’s suspicious.
A guided video implies: “Trust me. I’ll show you what matters.”
But what it really says is: “Don’t look too closely.”
And buyers hear that loud and clear.
In a world where everything else — cars, gadgets, shoes — is sold through direct interaction, why is real estate still clinging to the old broadcast mindset?
The truth is, buyers want freedom. They want time. They want to explore, pause, zoom, measure, imagine. They want to revisit the same layout three times with their partner at 10PM before bed. They want to see what you might skip.
And when they can do that — when they feel trusted to explore the space on their own — trust goes both ways. They trust the product more. They trust you more.
So if you’re in real estate, and you’re still thinking a polished video sells better than a transparent walkthrough, ask yourself this: would you rather test-drive a car yourself, or watch someone else drive it for you?
Exactly.
