Is Matterport the Right Choice for Your Business

When you make a reservation at your favorite restaurant or vacation spot, you expect a satisfying experience. Right? After all, that is why it is your favorite. You return time and time again because your expectations are met consistently.

Real estate buyers and sellers have come to expect certain things too. Top notch high-def photography. Full color   brochures and eye-catching  postcards  . Engagement on   social  media  . Today’s consumers want to soar over a property with a view from a drone. And they have come to expect a   3D  virtual  tour  , such as the industry-leading   Matterport  showcase.

Actually, over the past several months, where in-person open houses and walk-throughs have been largely off of the menu due to concerns over the  coronavirus  , online engagement and    3D  virtual  tours  have become regular menu items.

And why not? A premium virtual showcase allows a seller to show off a home 24/7, without the hassle or health risk of dozens of strangers parading through the hallways and handling the knobs and fixtures in every room. Buyers can breeze through as many virtual homes as they wish from the comfort of their own living rooms or kitchen counters. 

Many agents across the country have adapted amidst  the coronavirus  by not only strengthening traditional marketing measures (such as offering HDR photography in their listings and  print advertisements  ), but also by including virtual marketing tools. They help customers  sell their homes faster  and at a higher price with 3D tours.

It is no wonder that 3D virtual tours are loved by  buyers, sellers, and agents  alike. And there is little doubt that the move toward digital tools, one that began before coronavirus created a pandemic, is fast becoming an industry trend. COVID-19 served to speed up a trend that now appears to be the future of  real estate marketing. 

Brokers are beginning to believe that the move toward showcasing a home online is not going to disappear once coronavirus concerns go away. When buyers can participate in the immersive experience of a   Matterport “digital twin”  or other virtual tour, why would they take the time to venture out to see a property, at least initially?  And why would an agent schedule multiple appointments with a client to look at homes all day – all week – when uninteresting properties (or tire-kicking, disinterested buyers) can be pre-screened and filtered out with the mere click of a mouse?

Interestingly, while early adoptions of virtual tours for real estate were seen mainly in high-end markets, recent events have increased their use with listings of entry level homes and rental units. A precedent already existed at that end of the market, since many potential buyers often viewed little more than photos, spec sheets, and perhaps a model unit before purchasing a property. Presently, the simplified process and polished presentation of a virtual tour offers online immersion into not only those two-carat diamond properties, but more modest gems as well.

The movement toward virtual viewing extends into a related trend as well. More and more customers every year are looking for listings outside their own region and purchasing properties sight-unseen. The increase has been happening for years – even before virtual tours became a hot topic. Virtual tours have made it a more seamless endeavor.

But why Matterport? What sets the service apart from other virtual tours ?

Well, for one, Matterport is at the forefront of innovation when it comes to scanning and indexing the built world. You can create a digital twin of any physical space, anywhere indoors or out, simply by scanning the space with a compatible camera and allowing Matterport’s advanced Cortex AI do the heavy lifting for you.

With several scanning options ranging from the flagship Matterport Pro2 3D camera to the   iPhone  in your hand, Matterport makes capturing a home, office, apartment, or community hotspot a breeze. Whether you hire a   professional photography service  or perform the scan yourself, you upload the scans to the Matterport online platform, select from a host of customizable options, and receive your one-of-a-kind virtual tour in a matter of hours.

But the opportunities do not end with property listings. Sure, you can feature any home, office, business, or other property for sale. But you can also create enticing walk-throughs of local parks, art galleries, popular restaurants, schoolyards, and any other places of interest to your customers.

Take prospective clients on a tour of your physical office virtually by creating a 3D showcase of your business. Then post it to Google Street View to ensure that searchers not only see an accurate representation of your location, but they can familiarize themselves with the surroundings in preparation for the day they might visit in person. For your effort, you can even get the added benefit of boosting your SEO strategy by including Matterport virtual tours on your website.

To add a cherry on top, Matterport has taken 3D tours to the next level with their new virtual reality mode for an enhanced VR user experience.

So, is Matterport the right call for your real estate business? It is hard to imagine how it is not. You can share any space simply and securely – now during the age of social distancing, and forward into the future. That way you will meet and exceed the expectations of your clients, and keep them coming back.

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