New virtual reality (VR) headsets are arriving on the market constantly, and many real estate agents believe that the technology could have a number of practical applications for their field. With VR, buyers are able to see and experience a home from any place, whether that’s across the world or across town. Buyers can feel what it might be like to relax in the home’s living room, or how efficient a kitchen might be.
The technology is still in it’s infancy, but agents should get ahead of the curve before it becomes mainstream. Here are some of the most exciting ways VR can help agents sell more homes.
Lead Home Tours from Anywhere in the World
Currently, virtual reality is most often used when selling luxury homes. That’s because the cost of scanning a home for VR ranges from $300-$700 by some estimates.
However, with the introduction of more new VR devices on the market, this cost will inevitably decrease rapidly. Soon enough, you could be doing virtual walk-throughs of several homes with buyers… all in one appointment. Simply have them come into your office and you can tour any number of homes together.
Showcase Depth and Space with Virtual Reality
Virtual reality is poised to have a massive positive impact on an industry that has historically been slow to adapt to technology changes in the marketplace. Stephanie Davis of Virtual Xperience (one of several companies working on virtual reality content for the real estate industry) was a frustrated real estate agent who wanted to use technology to make her job easier. Davis explains that, “The one thing I could never do [was] convey space and depth, which you can’t show with a video. Now that’s possible.”
Agents can use virtual reality headsets to showcase how large a room is. Buyers can experience the space and depth of a property, including details like how stunning the cityscape might look from the dining room table. They can even do this while the property is still under construction.
Save Time with Virtual Reality
These devices are poised to make house-hunting far more efficient, which is great news for busy agents and busy buyers. VR home tours can save buyers and agents tons of time, especially in traffic-dense cities like Los Angeles and New York City where driving around to view properties can be a time-suck.
This can be a useful and unique selling proposition for agents in their marketing, too. They’re able to demonstrate that they understand the busy schedules of their buyers while simultaneously recouping some of their own precious time that would have been spent commuting and waiting. If you’re a real estate agent, you’ll want to keep an eye on the virtual reality trend — this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing about this useful tool.
Have you tried any virtual reality experiences? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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