Video Game Technology To Be Used To Showcase Homes For Real Estate
MALIBU (CBSLA.com) — While being physically present to inspect a property for one's self is widely considered the preferred method of going about purchasing real estate, not everyone has the time to be able to do so.
Why not be there virtually?
A virtual reality technology, very much like that used in many modern video games, is being used to showcase real estate for sale in Southern California.
Sotheby's Realty accomplishes this by setting up Go-Pro cameras in all directions, recording each and every angle of the house, making it seem as though you're walking through it yourself. The images are then stitched together with computers into virtual reality.
"Like anything new, people tend to be skeptical at first," real estate agent Shamon Shamonki said. "But once they experience it, it changes their whole vision of what we're offering, and they back it up and believe in it."
The new technology becomes particularly handy in parts of the Southland where high-priced properties go up for sale. Many potential buyers of these properties are not local residents and can't always be present.
This technology seeks to eliminate that issue.
"Whether you're living in Paris or Shanghai, what this allows is for you to experience a home like it was never available before, in just minutes, without jumping on a plane to be here," real estate agent Matthew Hood said.
As the technology continues to evolve, so matures the entire real estate experience. The next step in the field is expected to be the addition of sounds, or even smells, to the virtual reality. The eventual goal is the adaptation of the technology for homes in any price range.
"It's evolving on a daily basis, both the technology and how to produce the content," Hood said. "The total experience."