What are the best practices for using VR to improve real estate sales?

Using virtual reality (VR) in real estate can significantly enhance the sales process by providing immersive and interactive experiences for potential buyers. Here are some best practices for leveraging VR to improve real estate sales: 1. High-Quality Virtual Tours 2. Interactive Features 3. Optimize for VR Headsets: 4. Mobile and Web Accessibility 5. Day and Night Visuals 6. Incorporate VR in Sales Presentations 7. Virtual Staging

High-end headsets like Oculus Quest 2 (image 1) offer a fully immersive, 360-degree experience with stunning visuals and motion tracking. It's like entering a meticulously crafted film set, perfect for complex presentations or showcasing detailed models. But this premium experience comes with a heftier price tag and potential accessibility limitations. Web-based platforms like Mozilla Hubs (image 3) take VR accessibility to the next level. Users can access your presentation directly from their browsers, eliminating the need for specialized equipment.

Using VR it's possible to dramatically increase your audience. Platforms such as AVATOUR make it possible for anyone to view a property in 360 degree from a remote location.

Think about how you are going to showcase your assets. If you are building off the plan and have a show room it might be good to have a VR room where customers can see the asset they are interested in. If you don't have a showroom or want your customers to view at any time then maybe creating a mobile or web app is the way to go. If you are selling a asset that is built then you can buy/hire a Matterport camera that creates a format that can be hosted online and on some real-estate websites.

Leveraging VR to enhance real estate sales involves several best practices. Firstly, create immersive virtual tours that allow potential buyers to explore properties remotely. Implement interactive features, such as detailed floor plans and 360-degree views, enhancing engagement. Ensure compatibility with VR headsets for a more immersive experience. Utilize VR to showcase properties that are under construction or not easily accessible. Incorporate VR into sales presentations, offering a more compelling and memorable pitch. Regularly update VR content to reflect current listings and maintain relevance. Lastly, provide training for real estate agents to effectively navigate and utilize VR technology in their sales approach.

When selling something that customers will potentially be purchasing with their life savings, you need to make sure that it is as accurate as possible. Things to consider include: ~ Knowing where would the sun be and making sure you have an accurate representation of that. ~ Not including models (excluding furniture) of assets they won't be part of the base package or upgrades. ~ If you can, include an panoramic image of what it might look like outside. ~ Making sure even the tiniest of details are accurate like where you would find wall sockets. Also make sure your lighting is on point! you may need to bake it for performance reasons but baked lighting and reflections can make all the difference in making a scene look professional.

Develop high-resolution, accurate virtual representations of the properties. This involves detailed modeling of interiors and exteriors, high-quality textures, and realistic lighting to give potential buyers a true-to-life walkthrough experience.

Yeah, that's a key, on my opinion. When we did a VR for a lot of Ukrainian real estate companies we used high quality models. And they got x5 users on their exhibitions and conferences :)

Choosing the right technology for creating VR content is a pivotal decision. 3D modeling provides intricate details and customization, photogrammetry captures real-world textures, and 360-degree video offers immersive panoramic views. The selection depends on your goals and the level of interactivity you want to offer. Striking the right balance ensures your VR content is not just a digital representation but a captivating experience.

Knowing your customer base is important. As VR becomes more and more common in homes across the country, its important to note that making a VR tour for a retirement home or some office spaces might not be a good use of your time or energy because the customers looking at those simply are unfamiliar with the technology! A new apartment complex going up near a university though, now that might be a great place to create a VR tour for.

Implement interactive elements that guide the user through the virtual property, highlighting features and benefits. Also, ensure there’s a system for users to leave feedback or inquire more about certain aspects of the property directly within the VR experience.

Yeah, that's important. You could use additional hygiene nozzles to give a better experience to your customers. And of course, be all the time with them to guide them (do a translation of what they see on a TV screen. You can do a presention, while they using VR)

As a device that breaks the time and space limit, designers can provide comprehensive views to let customers have the whole-process real estate experience as in real life. E.g., from the micro perspective, VR can provide high-resolution details in the room. For macro-perspective, VR can provide a bird-view of the community, seasonal & 24-hour sunlight simulation of the room, and traffic density near the house, etc. In that case, users can access both the overview of the real estate, and also great amount of detailed information for them to make the final decision.

Offer potential buyers the ability to customize aspects of the property in VR, like changing wall colors or furniture. This personal touch can help them visualize the property as their own.

Allowing users to play doll house with their potential new home is a great way to get them excited. You could let the users swap around wall colours, fixtures, and optional upgrades that you might have available. Another great feature would be the ability to create blocks that could be given custom sizes which could represent furniture they have or plan on getting to see how big they will be in their new home. A repayment calculator would also be useful where they can see the base cost of the home, upgrades they have added, and current assets they have in the bank. They could then see the average repayments based on current interest rates and see if its something they could afford.

We didn't do it to be honest, but I think that's a good way for online sales. Because when customer with you - you can personalize with your presentation.

Virtual Reality (VR) has emerged as a game-changer, offering a unique opportunity to enhance the real estate sales process. One of the key advantages of integrating VR into your strategy is the ability to personalize and customize the VR experience for each user, adding an extra layer of engagement and satisfaction. Allow users to modify and customize aspects of the virtual property, such as changing furniture arrangements, experimenting with different color schemes, or adjusting lighting conditions. This level of user empowerment transforms the virtual experience from a passive viewing session into an interactive and participatory engagement.

We used AR for this part. We did app for our customer and then they used it in a magazine, brochures, web-site, instagram ads etc. There is a lot of ways how to customize already created VR content. One of my insight was about place where to use AR and VR. Use it to get more leads in city malls or conferences / exhibition. People like to have any kind of interaction with the companies. So use it! VR and AR - great instruments for that.

You could use your VR application to create videos and renders to share on your social media accounts. Not everyone likes VR but everyone knows how to play a video or look at photos of the product you are selling. Getting customers who used the VR apps and purchased a property could also be used to endorse your use of the latest technology to create content for newsletters to send out to people on your mail list.

Working in my university, one of the most important things we found about VR is its not for everyone. Some people get very motion sick and so having the option available for people who can use it is great, but don't base your entire real estate pitch on just a VR tour. Make sure that everything works with it and stands on its own to market the property.

Keep in mind the importance of user experience, ensuring the VR application is intuitive and runs smoothly across different devices. Also, consider the data privacy and security of the users engaging with the VR content.

The personalization of the VR experience fosters a stronger connection between users and the property being showcased. When individuals feel that a virtual tour aligns with their vision of an ideal living space, they are more likely to establish an emotional connection. This connection can significantly influence their decision-making process, creating a positive impact on real estate sales.

VR is cool but what about AR? Having the ability to use AR on a phone or some of the new goggles that are coming out would give you the ability to show the potential buyer how a space would look with different kinds of decor. You want to sell a home to a couple? Show them what a house would look like as -their- home!

We cannot leave aside Inclusion and accessibility in this type of technologies. Web platforms like Mozilla Hubs make property exploration as easy as a click, removing access barriers and promoting inclusivity. For immersive and personalized experiences, AltspaceVR provides native apps with device-specific functions, ensuring inclusivity for various users. Looking for quality and accessibility, consider Oculus, while mobile solutions like Samsung Gear VR make buying a house as easy as swiping your smartphone, enhancing inclusivity in real estate transactions. The key is to make real estate transactions accessible, inclusive, and exciting.