The real estate industry has been slow to embrace the digital revolution compared to other industries and our everyday lives. We live in a world where we now have a robot (Alexa) to turn off our lights, play music or whatever else you need assistance with. We have seen major changes in the automotive industry and vehicles nowadays are more advanced than ever before, and the industry shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to technological advancements.
Within the last few years, the real estate industry’s time has come to embrace the digital revolution. With augmented reality (AR), the real estate industry is more advanced than ever before. Augmented reality is the result of using technology to superimpose information. AR has been around for years, but it wasn’t until 2016 that augmented reality became popular all because of the viral game, Pokémon Go.
Pokémon Go was a phenomenon worldwide. The game allowed users to see the Pokémon creatures in real life around them. Users used their smartphones to see these creatures. The goal was to capture the creatures and then use them to battle other creatures that were also seen in the AR gyms.
Since the Pokémon Go sensation, industries have started to incorporate augmented reality into its daily lives. Ikea for instance, allows customers to use their smartphones to show how a piece of furniture would look in their living space. A customer no longer has to buy furniture and take it home to see how it looks to determine whether they like it or not. The automotive industry has incorporated AR into its vehicles to create a safer driving experience. BMW uses AR to present speed on the windshield.
Augmented Reality Making Its Way into Real Estate
It wasn’t until recently that AR made its way into the real estate industry, but it has hit the ground running. AR has already provided real estate professionals with extraordinary business opportunities. AR serves as both a marketing method and a sales method. AR is helpful to those in the industry, but it’s even more helpful to clients looking to purchase a development that is not yet built.
Before augmented reality, we relied on images of buildings that were to be built. Even with an image, it’s hard for buyers to imagine a real life picture. The real estate industry has also used 3D models but even then it was still difficult to capture clients’ imagination. Additionally, visiting every site is time consuming and not very helpful if the development is early in the building process.
Augmented reality is a simple resolution to these complications mentioned above. With the touch of a button, clients can access developments on their own. They can see the building in full detail as they interact with the space.
The Benefits of Augmented Reality in Real Estate
- Clear Understanding
When you use AR, it’s almost as if you are walking through an area in real life. AR works so much better than photos on a website or a video with a text description. When the digital space is put in front of you, you can get a good understanding of how tall ceilings are, how wide a space is, what exactly surrounds the space and you can even see the amount of lighting that comes into a room.
- Enhances Engagement
Studies have shown that when augmented reality is used in real estate, customers are more interested and involved. This is simply because this technology is interesting and unlike anything we have ever seen in the real estate industry. Never before have we been able to walk through a space that has not been developed. When your customers are engaged and interested, there’s a better opportunity for you to make a sale.
- Saves time and money
With Augmented reality, clients can see spaces on their own. If a client is traveling from across the country, they’re spending time and money just to come see the space. Clients can void this step by using AR to see the development on their own, in their current location. If your client wants to see this space more than once, they’re free to see the space as they wish with their mobile device.
AkulAR: An Augmented Reality App
AkulAR is an augmented reality app that you can download on your mobile device. Once its downloaded on your device, you can experience a development with 3D augmented reality. All you have to do is upload the plans into the app, plug in the GPS coordinates of the development so you can experience the building in the actual surroundings and walk with your tablet or AR headset as if the project has already been built.
AkulAR makes it easy to share buildings and developments with your clients or team. When everyone has the app installed, they are able to access any plans that are uploaded.
Using the AkulAR app for your real estate efforts will help you to promote the public interest projects to the community and you can visually communicate solutions that answer objections. In real estate, getting permissions to build can be an issue but with the AkulAR app, you share your proposal for commissioners to see and understand. The entire buying process is sped up with augmented reality. Clients generally take some time to think and consider spaces. With AkulAR, decision making is quick and more efficient because they get a better understanding for the space. Your buyers and tenants now have the opportunity to see different versions of the interior design before its completed. For the first time, you can sell more units faster, without spending a ton from your marketing budget.
The real estate industry has wasted no time getting on board with augmented reality. Afterall, it presents a vast amount of opportunities that the industry had never seen before. Are you ready to get on board? Download the AkulAR App to share with your peers and clients! AkulAR and augmented reality is the future of real estate.
