Virtual reality provides real estate tool of the future

Realtor Gary Ashton might have been sitting in his office near downtown Nashville, but thanks to the virtual-reality headset strapped to his face, his eyes were telling him he was walking through a house.

That's the appeal of virtual reality, or VR, which Ashton believes is the next frontier in real estate, enabling homebuyers in other cities or countries to remotely tour houses they might want to buy in Nashville without ever leaving home. Local buyers can skip the inconvenience of open houses.

“You can be in Chicago or Australia, put on a pair of goggles and walk through a house in Nashville,” said Ashton, who leads the Ashton Real Estate Group of Re/Max Advantage.

Ashton, who believes he is one of the first Realtors in Nashville to make use of VR technology, recently purchased a 3D camera developed by Matterport in California and an Oculus Rift headset that would be familiar to anyone who plays video games.

'Like you're really there'

Real estate websites provide photos or video tours of homes listed for sale. About a year ago, 3D photography became popular, displaying 360-degree views of every room on the screen of a computer or mobile device. Viewers can use a mouse or a keyboard's arrow keys to zoom in and out and move from room to room.

When those 3D images are viewed through a VR headset, “it’s like you’re really there,” said Andrew Crefeld, founder and CEO of HouseLens.

The Nashville-based visual marketing company provides photos and walk-through 3D videos for real estate listings as well as 3D models of homes, 2D floor plans, aerial drone photography and other services. To create 3D videos, HouseLens uses Matterport cameras.

HouseLens executive Kathryn Royster explains the difference between 3D and VR: “3D is like you’re moving through a house, but you’re aware you are looking at a screen. Put on the headset and it’s like being in that house.”

Crefeld has a word of caution about using a VR headset, which can be a little disorienting, since you have the sensation of walking through a house but are actually standing or sitting still.

“It can make you feel sick, but you adjust to it,” he said.

Fast-growing technology

HouseLens is active in 50 markets nationwide. Locally, clients include Ashton’s agency, Parks and offices of Keller Williams in Franklin and other locations.

Dania Demirci, director of marketing for Parks, said she has not personally experienced VR but expects agents to use it to market houses.

The technology will be especially useful for busy clients who might not have time to personally visit a home for sale.

“They can see it on their computer,” she said.

Leg up in competitive market

Lisa Wurth, managing broker for Benchmark Realty in Franklin, said Realtors and homebuyers are using technology to cope with today’s competitive market. It’s not unusual for homes to be sold within hours of being listed.

Homebuyers who can’t drop everything and drive to a house are doing the next best thing. They are taking live, interactive video tours via FaceTime and Skype. Their Realtor walks through the house with a mobile device that streams images in real time to the client’s computer, smartphone or tablet.

It’s not uncommon for buyers to make an offer during a video tour, said Wurth.

“It’s just April, and I’ve done it five or six times” so far this year, she said. “With the market the way it is, people have to make a decision before they even see the house.”

Virtual reality is the next step, said Ashton.

“I put on the goggles,” he said, “and I thought I was in the future.”