Future vision
Virtual reality technology means house hunters can view properties without leaving the couch.
The days of open homes may be numbered, thanks to a Manawatu real estate agent taking on virtual technology.
Watson Property in Palmerston North believes it is possibly the first agency in the country to use a certain type of virtual reality technology.
Principal Greg Watson said the firm had imported a Matterport camera from the United States so vendors could choose ‘‘VR’’ as part of their marketing campaign if they wished.
By using an Oculus viewer, if they had one, or their smartphone and a set of cardboard goggles supplied by the company, people could feel like they were really inside the property.
‘‘It allows somebody viewing a rental property or a property for sale to put the phone into the goggles and experience actually standing inside the property,’’ Watson said.
‘‘The real advantage for people is they can get a really good feel for what it’s like, rather than the situation where they might travel to a property.’’
Virtual reality had an edge over videos and 360-degree photography by giving people a clearer idea of the condition of the property, Watson said. They could look out the windows at the view, or get a sense of scale.
The user simply had to download an app, go to a link on their phone and slide it into the goggles, he said.
At $20 a pair, they were cheap enough for vendors to send a limited number out to likely customers on the agency’s database as well.
Watson said he expected other agencies to follow his lead. ‘‘As soon as you put those goggles on, it is an experience. It’s not just looking at something on a screen.’’