A virtual home tour refers to a navigable digital reconstruction of a property, created from 360-degree images or 3D capture. The cost of this service varies depending on the technology used, the size of the property, and the chosen production method, with differences ranging from simple to tenfold.
Cost per property: outsourcing versus in-house agency
The first variable that determines the price of a virtual tour is not the technology, but the business model chosen. Outsourcing to a certified professional photographer generally costs between 150 and 350 euros per property, depending on the size. This rate covers travel, capture, data processing, and online publishing.
When a real estate agency invests in its own equipment (360 camera and software subscription), the marginal cost per property drops to between 20 and 50 euros. This difference is explained: the external provider charges for labor, equipment depreciation, and profit margin, while the agency only bears the time for scanning and the share of its SaaS subscription.
Field feedback indicates that with a volume of five properties or more per month, in-house production becomes profitable starting from the fourth month of use. To understand in detail the rates of lamaison360.fr on Immo Relax, it is essential to distinguish between what falls under the provider’s package and what constitutes the recurring cost once equipped.
Capture technology and its impact on the price of the virtual tour
The type of capture chosen directly influences the bill. Three technologies coexist in the market, each with its own pricing logic.
- Classic 360 virtual tour: a 360 camera mounted on a tripod captures spherical panoramas that are then assembled by software. The basic equipment (camera, tripod, assembly software) remains accessible, and the result is suitable for most residential real estate listings.
- 3D Matterport capture with LiDAR: the scanner produces a digital twin of the property, with precise measurements, 2D floor plans, and immersive navigation. The cost of the equipment and subscriptions is higher, which is reflected in the provider’s rate.
- Custom tour: it combines drone, HDR shots, advanced 3D modeling, and sometimes virtual home staging. The budget increases significantly, as each additional deliverable (video, plans, retouching) adds to the expense.
Between a standard 360 tour and a complete Matterport capture with plans and video, the price can vary from simple to triple for the same property. The choice depends on the agency’s strategy: a short-term rental apartment does not justify the same investment as a high-end house for sale.
Property size and often overlooked additional costs
The size of the property remains the most predictable variable. The larger the property, the more capture points are needed, and the longer the image processing time takes. A studio requires a few camera positions, whereas a single-story house with a garden may require several dozen.
Two expense items often go unnoticed during the initial quote:
The hosting of the virtual tour represents a recurring cost. Some platforms charge a monthly subscription per active tour. Others, like publication on Google Maps via Google Business Profile, offer free lifetime hosting but limit functionalities (no 2D plans, no measurements).
Technical add-ons also inflate the final bill. 2D floor plans, additional photo reports, presentation videos: each additional deliverable has its own rate. The combination of capture plus plans plus video can represent double the price of the tour alone.
SaaS offers with unlimited tours: a model that changes the cost calculation
Comparative articles focus on the unit price per tour, but an alternative model is gaining ground: SaaS subscriptions for unlimited virtual tours. Several software publishers now offer a fixed monthly package, regardless of the number of properties digitized.
This model disrupts the profitability calculation for real estate agencies that manage a regular volume of listings. The cost per tour mechanically decreases with each new property added. For an agency that publishes about ten listings per month, the unit price becomes marginal compared to an outsourced service.
The trade-off concerns the quality of images and the richness of features. Entry-level SaaS solutions produce tours from smartphone photos, without LiDAR scanning. The result remains acceptable for rentals but does not compete with a professional Matterport capture of a prestigious property.
Property preparation: the invisible item that affects quality
The price displayed by a provider covers the capture and processing, rarely the staging of the property. The quality of a virtual tour depends as much on the preparation of the property as on the technology used. A cluttered or poorly lit interior will yield a mediocre result, even with high-end equipment.
Some agencies add a virtual home staging service to enhance the final rendering. This digital retouching (adding furniture, changing colors, removing unsightly elements) must be mentioned in the listing to comply with regulations on visual data transparency. Its cost is added to the base rate of the tour.
The time spent on tidying, cleaning, and optimizing natural light before capture does not appear on any quote. For a real estate agent managing the relationship with the owner, this coordination time represents a real cost, often underestimated in the overall budget of a virtual home tour.
The price of a virtual tour is therefore viewed on three levels: the gross rate of the provider or subscription, the technical add-ons related to deliverables, and the preparation time that no one bills but that everyone pays.