Gareth Ross, CEO and Founder of Buildmedia In this article, we will explore how an architecture and visualisation company (Buildmedia) from New Zealand uses virtual tours to help real estate agents and developers.
In general, architects and city planners were the first to show interest in virtual tours. Trying to convince a client to buy architectural and interior design plans from paper or pictures is not the easiest job. What’s missing? Imagination and spatial orientation. Virtual tours are a tool, which benefits both the architect and the real estate agent to visually communicate information to the buyer.
The benefit of virtual tours is not limited to just visualisation, but nourishes the whole real estate cycle: getting the listing, generating leads, communicating, engaging customers and closing the deal. According to realestate.co.nz, one of the biggest listing portals in New Zealand, virtual tours are featured in almost 2 out of 10 listings and decreased the average time in the market to only 40 days. Buildmedia, a New Zealand-based architecture company, talked to iStaging about the benefits of virtual tours in the architecture and city planning profession, and the high demand for 3D rendered virtual tours from the real estate industry.
Hello Gareth, could you introduce yourself and your company?
My name is Gareth Ross, CEO of Buildmedia. Buildmedia is a New Zealand company that brings to life unbuilt visions, from apartments to master-planned communities, using world-leading 3D walkthroughs, animations & interactive virtual experiences. We focus on architecture and city planning and we have been a client of iStaging since 2018.
“The Blake” is a Buildmedia virtual tour project for the Oslo Group. Early-kiwis to virtual tours! How did you get started with virtual tours?
We found iStaging when looking for a simplified way of experiencing apartment tours online. We wanted to harness the tools developed by the gaming industry — and apply them to architecture and city planning.
Awesome! How do real estate agents use virtual tours from your perspective?
Virtual tours are a very helpful and beneficial tool to real estate agents. The real estate agent sends the virtual tour to buyers after they have experienced the physical property. We have leveraged iStaging as a digital takeaway for buyers to experience a simplified walkthrough of the apartment they are interested in at their own pace online, which gives buyers space to include friends and family in their decision-making.
The Sanctuary - Mount Pleasant, the fastest-selling development in Perth, built for Developwise How do virtual tours benefit the real estate agents of New Zealand?
Our company through virtual tours supports the real estate agents to sell properties off-the-plan and support business leaders in communicating their proposed vision.
Developers and real estate agents are always keen to leverage existing assets to create more outputs, whether online virtual tours, video or images. Creating a holistic marketing approach gives buyers an abundance of opportunities to engage with their listing and more time to make informed decisions. iStaging is another string in the bow and allows a larger audience to experience walkthroughs online.
Talking about iStaging. Why do you like iStaging?
iStaging has provided a simple mobile-friendly way to interact with our 3D apartment walkthroughs and helps our clients to experience our large-scale master plan projects online and at scale.
We have been with iStaging for a few years, and the support service team has been excellent.
Thank you for your support! Looking forward to more successful years together, Gareth!
Likewise!
Virtual tours for New Zealand real estate agents.
Creating a virtual tour for your property, hosting virtual open houses and auctions, or even purchasing floor plans online for a reasonable price couldn’t be easier. Becoming more technologically resilient will set you apart from competitors, help you to gain the seller and buyer’s trust and seal the deal faster.
Want to give virtual tours a try? Get started with just NZ$7, choose your capturing equipment and let’s work together to make you the next virtual tour superstar!
iStaging is the official trusted virtual tour software partner of REINZ and is fully compatible with realestate.co.nz, Trademe.co.nz, and all the major listing pages and CRM’s of New Zealand and Australia. iStaging’s virtual tours and real estate tools are trusted by Ray White, Harcourts, Bayleys, Tall Poppy real estate agents in New Zealand and Australia.