The Rise of 3D Virtual Tours in Real Estate amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

SmartView Media - The Rise of 3D Virtual Tours in Real Estate amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

  “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” – Benjamin Franklin 

We can all attest how COVID-19 pandemic is a major setback to humanity. Human beings are just meant to be social but given the threat of the virus, most if not all person-to-person interactions are put on hold indefinitely. Mandatory lockdowns, social distancing, work-from-home setups and virtual meetings have replaced our normal lives. But once again, proving that our species can withstand the test of time, new technology and new industries have emerged amidst this pandemic. 

Reinventing Real Estate Tour with Virtual Tours 

3D virtual tour is already a growing technology before the pandemic, but this year propelled the use of virtual reality in the real estate industry. Virtual tours provided a great option for home sellers and real estate agents to proceed with their business and display their properties without an in-person tour. As the market adjusts to our new way of living, 3D reality paved way in revolutionizing real estate even in the middle of a health crisis and will definitely belong in the future of the industry. One may even say that it made each transaction swift as meetings with prospect buyers are also conducted through video conference while document signing and notarization can be accomplished electronically.  

So, How Did Virtual Reality Start? 

The term “virtual tour” was first used in 1994. The technology was first utilized in an industry extremely paralleled to real estate. It was a historic museum visitor interpretive tour viewing on Dudley Castle in England as it was in 1550 through 3D reconstruction using a computer-controlled laserdisc based system. The virtual walk-through was opened to the public in June 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II making Her Majesty one of the first to experience the virtual world. 

Though 3D virtual tour has widespread use in museums, its technology gained more traction in the computer gaming industry making video games more interactive for its users. The use of virtual reality has further expanded to industries such as education, commercial, medicine, archaeology and more. 

 

Why Virtual Tours Are Becoming Popular In Real Estate 

Aside from the fact that virtual tour is a brilliant solution amidst travel restriction and physical distancing as a consequence of the current global health crisis, real estate 3D virtual tours is simply a technology that is bringing wonders in the industry which both the realtor and the buyer could agree with. Here are some of the benefits of virtual tours and they might also be the reason why it is here to stay: 

  •  Time-saving—No more waiting for an open house schedule or taking the whole day searching for your dream home, view different properties in different locations any time of the day. 
  •  Convenience—Setting a meeting between the realtor and the buyer could require a few phone calls and rescheduling to compromise busy schedules. Add in the effort and cost of traveling to go back and forth to check multiple. 3D real estate virtual tours save you from all the hassle of house hunting and permit you to do an open house at the very comfort of your home. 
  • Interactive—With the 3D and 360° view of the whole property, this technology can offer so much more than just viewing a photograph of the property and a unique experience where the buyer can “walk-through” the house mirroring the actual open house.  

 

What to Expect in 3D Virtual Tours in Real Estate? 

To put it simply, virtual tour is a digital twin of the physical property created using a combination of videos, images, and other multimedia effects to enhance the visual experience of the end-user available through mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. 

In the virtual tour expect Google Street View, Matterport 3D virtual model of the property, HDR photography of the stunning interiors of the house, and it may even include drone videography for the cinematic bird’s eye view. The interactive 3D virtual tour has a self-guided walk-through feature that allows the viewers to explore and navigate from any section of the property with a simple click. It also has an auto-play mode which is like a panoramic view of the whole property or specific room but in a walking/fly-through type of experience. The highlight reel navigation, on the other hand, is image-based navigation that allows you to conveniently jump from any key area or room. A floor plan is also accessible to have a comprehensive look of the entire area and provides the actual measurement of the room, alley, and other space. 

The Future of Real Estate Industry 

Though it can never replace the engaging experience of having your realtor with you in an actual open house, virtual tours are an innovative alternative, especially, at this crucial time. Moreover, even without the physical restrictions, the real estate industry can greatly benefit from VR technology by making each transaction more efficient, provide more information to the buyers, and help buyers with their purchase decision with an accessible but wide range of selections.  

 

frequently asked questions

Matterport is an American based SaaS company that provides a platform for creating 3D Virtual Tours. Professional tour creators use the platform to deliver high-quality products to clients.

Matterport is an all-in-one solution that has unparalleled quality and is easy for your customers to use. With secure model management & cloud servers, it’s always available when you or your customers need it.

3D Virtual Tours are included on your website through the use of an iFrame. An iFrame is a bit of code that allows the tour experience to be embedded in your website, eliminating the need for users to click a link and be redirected to another website page. Matterport provides these codes with limited functionality, SmartView Media provides custom iFrame codes to our clients that allow a great level of control and customisation for how the tours are displayed on your website. These options can easily be turned on and off by customers in our SmartHub platform.

Our tours using an Embed code to connect seamlessly with your website, regardless of how your website is built it will be able to display one of our 3D Tours.

Scanning will take at least 1-2 hours depending on the model or the space being scanned. Some spaces with difficult geometry & scan points require for more time to process. Normally our team can have a completed 3D Tour back to you in 48 hours.

A typical 360 Tour is a combination of 360 panoramic images, these images are then added to 3rd party software and use a button in each image to link to the next image in the sequence. This allows the user to move from one image to the next.

A Matterport 3D Virtual Tour is a combination of 360 panoramic images and infrared scan data. The images and IR data are combined using photogrammetry & AI to make a digital 3D model. This 3D model is accurate to within 1% and allows the user to view a Floor Plan, Dollhouse & take measurements all while moving freely around the location.

This really depends on several factors, from the size and complexity of the location that is being captured down to the level of desired detail. The more 3D Scan points a Matterport Tour has, the better the final result will be for the end user experience, as the scan points are the locations that a user can view the space from. A typical home can range from 90mins to 180mins depending on it’s size, room & furniture layout. An office location of 1000 sqm can take around 120mins to 180mins for the same reasons mentioned previously.

A Matterport 3D Virtual Tour is created by capturing a combination of infrared data & 360 panoramic images. This combination is called a 3D Scan. A Matterport 3D Virtual Tour is the combination of these 3D Scans, which are captured at regular intervals throughout a location, this information is then combined to create an interactive 3D Mesh which allows the user to move from point to point to view the model.

No, it currently isn’t possible to download a Matterport 3D Tour. The tours can be embedded on your website, but as the tours are stored in the cloud they will always require an internet connection in order to access them. It is not possible to download them and put them on a hard drive or USB memory stick.

In order to capture the most detailed 3D Virtual Tour experience possible for your location, it is best that as few people as possible are around. This prevents any unwanted captures of people moving through rooms.

Matterport Pro 2 cameras use infrared to assist with 3D mapping the surrounding environment, as a result the platform is best suited to capturing indoor areas. However, we can utilise 360 images combined with the Cortex feature to capture external areas in the right circumstances.

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Matterport 3D Tours – Get Your Quote Today

Ready to showcase your space with an immersive 3D virtual tour? Get in touch with our team today! Whether you’re in real estate, construction, retail, or hospitality, we’ll create a high-quality 3D experience tailored to your needs.

Fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you with a custom quote.

Get Your Qoute Today

Ready to showcase your space with an immersive 3D virtual tour? Get in touch with our team today! Whether you’re in real estate, construction, retail, or hospitality, we’ll create a high-quality 3D experience tailored to your needs. 
Fill out the form below, and we’ll get back to you with a custom quote.