The real estate landscape is rapidly evolving, with technology playing a pivotal role in shaping marketing strategies. For developers focused on off-plan residential real estate, the ability to effectively market properties that are not yet constructed is crucial. This post follows from last week’s blog introducing visual twins and how they can drastically improve an off-plan developer’s marketing results. In this article we will dive deeper into the various ways to offer virtual tours for off-plan properties, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Off-plan property marketing involves promoting residential units before they are built, although it can also be used to promote new hospitality, commercial or office developments. This presents unique challenges, as developers must convince potential buyers to invest in a property based solely on floor plans, maquettes, still digital representations such as renders, and basic animations like CGI videos (some developers also invest significant amounts in creating physical showrooms, however these are location specific and out of reach of most buyers). This means that much is left to the buyer’s imagination, and on their interpretation of what can sometimes be limited information (especially when relying solely on static material such as floor plans and renderings). As a result, many factors are left out of the developer’s control. Static and lifeless content also fails to connect with what is arguably one of the most important touch points with buyers: emotion. Buying an asset off-plan is a highly emotional process, with buyers projecting themselves and ‘dreaming’ about their new home. A developer must therefore look to connect emotionally with a buyer, while at the same time transferring key information accurately and concisely. The key to successful off-plan property marketing lies in leveraging technology to create realistic, engaging, and informative virtual experiences so as to offer buyers a complete understanding of the property, while at the same time connecting on an emotional level.
Virtual tours have revolutionised the way properties are marketed, providing immersive and interactive experiences that allow potential buyers to explore properties remotely. The evolution of this technology has been significant, transitioning from simple panoramic views to sophisticated 3D models and real-time rendered environments. Initially developed for existing properties with the use of 360 photos, virtual tours can now be created for off-plan properties too. Here we will explore the main options for developers to consider when looking to create visual twins for off-plan properties.
Similar to the photo based 360 tours popularised by the likes of Matterport, these virtual tours imply creating 360-degree renderings extracted from a fully developed 3D model of the property. These 360 renderings are then stitched together with specialised software to create a seamless virtual tour which enables users to navigate through properties in a three-dimensional space, providing a comprehensive view of the layout and potential of the property. Being based on renders, these can require extensive work to create a full walkthrough since every single space of the property will have to be rendered in 360.
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Above example is not our work. You can visit this 360 tour at this link.
Utilising advanced gaming software like Unreal Engine, developers can create virtual tours that are not only visually stunning but also interactive. These tours simulate a real-life walking experience through the property, offering a dynamic and engaging way to explore spaces. By leveraging the functionalities of a game engine, these visual twins can incorporate life-like elements to add emotional touch points to the experience. These can include dynamic features such as wind sweeping through the curtains or vegetation, birds flying, water flowing/glistening, cars and people moving in a neighbourhood, etc.... Visual twins also allow the possibility to select various times of day in order to show various moods and ambiences, and can offer a whole suite of interactions, ranging from switching lights on/off and opening doors and cupboards, to editing surfaces, materials and furniture. Finally, it is even possible to include Non Playable Characters (NPCs) to populate the space, as well as multiplayer functionalities to hold meetings and viewings directly within the space.
Because the experiences developed are essentially video games, they require highly performant graphics processing which go beyond the capabilities of the average user device. Thankfully with pixel streaming, the program can live and be processed on the cloud, and streamed to the user’s device in real time.
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Virtuelle client project (work in progress)
WebGL (Web Graphics Library) is a Jacascript API for generating and rendering high performance interactive 2D and 3D graphics directly in a web browser, without the need for additional plugins. What this means is that any 3D scene built with WebGL is rendered directly in a compatible web browser. This is achieved by leveraging the user device’s GPU, eliminating the latency issues which can arise from cloud processing of the graphics and streaming. This results in a smoother and more responsive user experience. Since graphics are processed at the user device level however, there is a balance to be achieved between complexity of the scene (especially in terms of graphics fidelity) and performance. The more complex and heavy/high fidelity a scene is, the harder it will be for the average device to process graphics locally. Therefore development of WebGL virtual tours must keep in mind the lowest common denominator, and therefore they tend to not achieve the level of fidelity and complexity that scenes built in game engines such as Unreal Engine achieve.
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Above example is not our work. You can visit this 360 tour at this link.
From looking at the options above, it is clear that there are certain trade-offs to consider when selecting the right virtual experience to promote off-plan property developments. The below table provides a comparative overview of the information presented above:
The investment in virtual tour technology depends on the complexity of the project and the chosen method. While initial costs can be significant with some of the options considered, they are often offset by the benefits, including faster sales cycles, enhanced marketing capabilities and improved brand perception.
Virtual tours have proven to be an effective tool in improving the sales process in real estate. They provide a more comprehensive understanding of the property, leading to quicker decision-making by buyers. The immersive nature of these tours also helps in building trust and confidence among potential buyers, and also assists with optimising time by reducing wasted viewings.
Beyond showcasing properties, virtual tours can offer valuable analytics and performance tracking. These features help developers understand client engagement and preferences, enabling more targeted and effective marketing strategies, and even influencing design for future properties.
Analytical Tools:
These visual twins can also be integrated with 3rd party applications in a developer’s toolkit, such as CRM software and other commercial applications. By embedding a lead magnet directly into a virtual experience, developers can streamline the sales process and increase conversion rates.
A critical aspect of virtual tours is the user experience they offer. The goal is to make the tours as realistic, informative, and engaging as possible, catering to a diverse audience, including international clients and those who cannot physically visit the site.
The future of off-plan property marketing lies in embracing these technological advancements. Virtual tours are becoming a standard in the industry, setting a new benchmark for how properties are showcased and sold. They represent a significant shift in how real estate developers interact with potential buyers, providing a more dynamic and engaging way to explore properties.
For real estate developers, the adoption of visual twins represents a strategic investment in the future of property marketing. These tools offer a unique blend of innovation, accessibility, and efficiency, making them an indispensable part of modern real estate marketing. From simple 360 rendered tours to fully photorealistic and editable visual twins, off-plan real estate constructors now have an expansive toolkit at their disposal, with various options to choose from according to their requirements.
For developers interested in leveraging these technologies for their off-plan properties, we encourage you to reach out to us. Our team specialises in creating customised visual twin solutions that align with your specific project needs and marketing goals.
