Aussies homeowners are in for some dramatic changes to the way they buy and sell their next home.
The property market is undergoing a technological evolution as virtual reality (VR) revolutionises how buyers experience their future homes.
Mirvac’s Harbourside Residences VR experience is affording buyers immersive walk-throughs before it is possible to step inside their off-the-plan apartment.
It’s a collaborative process between the Mirvac project team and visualisation partner Blank Canvas.
Mirvac general manager of marketing and sales Lisa Taylor said the VR process required special remodelling of the entire apartment.
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The VR offering is Mirvac’s debut using the technology in the sale process
The VR offering allows buyers to ‘step inside’ Mirvac’s Harbouside Residences
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“First you have to model it from an architectural point of view, then you move to a technical and architectural review within the VR headset itself,” Ms Taylor said.
“You do the furniture and styling, deploy it to the VR platform, install it on the hardware and then it is finally ready for testing and customer immersions.”
The Harbourside VR offering is Mirvac’s first debut of using the technology in the sale process.
Following the first stage release of Harbourside that achieved over $700m in presales on the one weekend, Ms Taylore said the Mirvac team were keen to evolve the digital experience for customers in the display gallery ahead of its next release this month.
The new release, predominantly three- and four-bedroom residences led the team to selected two residences on level 37 that represent one three-bedroom and one four-bedroom the VR experience.
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The VR offering allows buyers to step inside Mirvac’s Harbourside Residences
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“The response to the VR has been overwhelmingly positive, we have seen really strong engagement across all demographics of our buyers who are coming in, including downsizers and retirees aged between 60 and 70,” Ms Taylor said.
“They have all enthusiastically embraced the experience during those one-on-one appointments and at some of the larger events that we have had as well.”
Ms Taylor said the system is designed to be intuitive and accessible.
“You don’t need to have any technical expertise, our customers can easily explore the different finishes, layouts and even different times of day to see how their apartment will look and feel,” she said.
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Renders of Mirvac’s Harbourside apartments similar to what buyers see with the VR headset
Mirvac Harbourside Residences apartment render
“We had in the past held off on using VR as part of the sale process due to concerns about quality, customer comfort and putting on the headset, but we found this technology had reached a level that really enhanced the experience and the feedback that we received so far from people that have gone through it is that it really exceeded their expectations and validated that decision to move forward.”
For anyone who doesn’t want to use the headset, Mirvac also provides screen-based walk and immersive videos in the display gallery.
The offerings that also allow customers the opportunity to see the apartments from differing levels, orientations and times of day.
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Mirvac’s display suite screen-based walk-through offers differing orientation outlooks
The full length and height LED screen in the display apartment showcases real-time skyline views and time-lapse footage, especially valuable when the sales suite is off-site,” Ms Taylor said.
“This enables our customers to experience the different indicative views they can expect from their new apartment, and we can tailor this to different apartments and aspects.”
The time lapse footage was shot using fixed cameras and drones, brought to life on the LED screen in the display apartment to simulate the views.
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Mirvac’s full length and height LED screen showcases real-time skyline views and time-lapse footage
“Buying a home – especially off the plan – is a major emotional and financial commitment,” she said.
“Immersive technology allows a customer to truly see themselves in the space: to understand proportions, natural light, outlooks and finishes in a way static plans never could.
“Now that these experiences have reached a certain level of maturity we think they will shift from a novelty to an expectation in the process and really play a key role of giving buyers the reassurance and excitement that they need especially with off the plan purchasing.”
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