Would you buy real estate from an avatar?
Can technology replace real life house-hunting? Here’s the newest in a long line of ideas that try to get buyers ready to buy from the comfort of their couch. First came pictures, then video, now 3D tours. This new 3D technology replicates all the house’s details in 3D and to scale—from the color of the walls to the fixtures, including outlets and the view from the windows.
Paul Abrighton of McDonald Realty is using 3D technology to hold a virtual open house. Paul, in avatar form, will be showing his listing Thursday, June 10 from 5:00PM-7:00PM PST. I was invited and I’m passing the invitation to you. (The place is in Vancouver, so you probably won’t be buying it.) If you want to see what the 3D looks like without downloading their software, go to the homepage.
I don’t see this technology as a way to replace old fashioned go-and-see-it. There is just too much that can’t be included in the model, like light transfer and air flow. There’s also too much that will get left out, like stains in the basement which indicate wetness, smells, and clutter.
3D modeling has its place. It would be a better screening tool than anything we have now. But I don’t think it can replace the real life hunt. My clients would find a 3D model valuable for after the house is chosen. Then the buyer can simulate redecoration and do some 3D furniture placement.
Real estate innovation -- in the form of data availability -- has made a revolution in the way agents do business. In the past 10 years of so, the ease of getting listing information, sales and ownership data on line became a real boon to buyers who can use it. But attempts to replace real life showings just haven’t happened. Why?
Pictures help a lot. But, bad pictures can damn a good house and good pictures can entice buyers to a doghouse. Neither especially good nor bad pictures actually sell houses. Then came video. In the mid-90s there were whispers that video house hunting would replace Sunday open houses. Didn’t happen. Why? You know why! No one can capture a house on video-tape. There were perspective problems, lighting problems and many made buyers sea-sick. Like pictures before it, bad video could damn a good house and good video lead buyers to visit doghouses.
Do you think this technology has a chance? Is 3D modeling good enough to tell you whether you want to go see a house or not?
