VIRTUAL REALTY
Many sales centres are by-appointment-only now. But an increasing number are going fully digital — no hand sanitizer required.
Had his search for a new place started two months earlier, Mark Chen could have breezed into downtown Toronto’s Regent Park Presentation Centre without an appointment or a surgical mask.
But that was then. With condo sales centres across the GTA open by appointment only during the COVID-19 pandemic, the thirtysomething dentist’s afternoon meeting with Daniels Corporation sales staff had to be prearranged over the phone. “I liked what I saw on the website, so now I’m taking the next step,” Chen says of his interest in one of the 451 units in the 32- storey Artworks Tower. “You can only do so much online.”
That was mid- May, and already the sentiment is beginning to change: Once de rigueur, onsite visits, even masked ones like Chen’s, are fast becoming expendable as GTA developers roll out digital tools covering every step of finding, exploring and buying new residential properties.
When the sales campaigns for Trulife Developments’ Summit Muskoka and 8188 Yonge properties launch in June and early fall, respectively, prospective buyers “will be able to engage in an entirely virtual experience from the comfort of their own homes,” says project manager Natalie Vanderwier.
Some of Trulife’s virtual sales tools — a live 60- minute presentation, a one- on- one appointment with a Trulife representative and partnering brokers, the ability to review and sign legal documents — will operate in real time. Others, including panoramic 3D views of buildings, amenity spaces and available suites — including floor plans, finishing options and balcony views — will be available on demand.
“As disruptive as COVID-19 has been, it has also motivated us to take the live sales experience and do it better online,” says Vanderwier. “The software is interactive, user- friendly and robust, and brings the sales experience to life.”
Virtual tours are nothing new, of course. Long before the COVID-19 outbreak, prospective buyers could digitally explore properties like the ornate Randall Residences in Oakville, the 38- storey Mirabella Condos project on Toronto’s lakeshore and Etobicoke’s 53- home Glen Agar community.
What is new is the extent to which buyers are using virtual services — the Montreal- based Local Logic consultancy reported an increase of as much as 500 per cent in virtual tour requests as the pandemic took hold in March — and the corresponding rush among developers and brokers to upgrade and expand their offerings.
Daniels, for example, recently launched a virtual tour of the Casper model home in its Markham Sheppard community of six- storey condos and townhomes. As well as standard- issue 360- degree views of various rooms, the tours include “dollhouse” views that can be rotated along any axis, bird’s- eye views that effectively remove the roof, and interactive annotation and measurement tools. Wondering whether a sofa will fit through a door? Wonder no more.
The developer has also seen a recent uptick in participation in educational webinars for prospective buyers and brokers. “We’ve actually doubled our attendance in some cases, just because it’s so convenient for people to sign in and take part ,” says senior sales manager Tiffany Wood.
Christopher Alexander, RE/MAX regional vice-president and executive director, agrees that buy- in is suddenly much higher. “The interesting thing is that agents have had all of the tools necessary to conduct business with little to no human contact for several years,” he says. “The difference now is that they’re being forced to use them.”
Still, he sees their longterm appeal. “These virtual tools will save everyone time and money by making new residential sales much more efficient,” Alexander says. “Buyers are becoming more inclined to narrow their search before they go out and look at a property in person. That’s great for developers and agents, because they know they’re dealing with serious buyers and a lot of the work is being done ahead of time.”
Does this mean sales centres’ days are numbered? Wood doesn’t think so. “Real estate, at its core, is something tangible. You can’t necessarily build the kind of strong relationships we value and need over video chats. But we’re doing our very best to make sure clients feel comfortable while we wait for face- to- face meetings to regain their full appeal.”
THESE VIRTUAL TOOLS WILL SAVE EVERYONE TIME AND MONEY BY MAKING NEW RESIDENTIAL SALES MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. BUYERS ARE BECOMING MORE INCLINED TO NARROW TH EIR SEARCH BEFORE TH EY GO OUT AND LOOK AT A PROPERTY IN PERSON. — CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER