Looking at Virtual Reality for Real Estate? Augmented Reality Will Be Even Bigger

A lot of attention in real estate goes into looking at what the next big thing will be in technology that will impact our business. As a self-confessed closet geek, I do my best to stay on top of future trends. All things related to data have garnered my greatest attention over the last few years – from predictive analytics, to artificial intelligence and the emergence of the "algorithm economy."

The future impact of these trends on real estate will be stunning, but there are two other trends closer to the vest for real estate brokerages that could have a much more rapid and practical impact. And that's what is happening in leveraging technology to allow people to not just see a house remotely, but feel as if they are actually inside the home.

VR has the buzz

One of the biggest buzzes in real estate continues to be around virtual reality. VR gives real estate agents the ability to immerse customers into a property, virtually, through a three dimensional online experience. Matterport is among the hottest technologies being used to create the most advanced digital 3D property tours. Just visit their website, and you'll see the value of what they do.

It is being used by some of real estate's biggest and most forward-thinking brands: Redfin, Alain Pinel Realtors, Halstead, and Apartments.com, to name a few. In fact, Matterport has spawned a cottage industry, giving birth to a nationwide network of professional 3D photographers that have helped drive down the cost of a 3D tour and make it more accessible to agents nationwide.