Augmented Reality in Real Estate

Augmented reality is gaining traction in almost every industry and real estate doesn’t seem to be an exception. Some agencies have already made use of this modern technology in several ways, from refreshing their print catalogs to interactive demonstrations at installation and on a mobile screen. Even though AR is just at the start of its path, augmented reality in real estate is already providing serious business opportunities.

It has the value similar to a marketing method, as well as a tool to encourage clients into a conversation and purchases. More importantly, AR usage presents benefits as to customers so to real estate agencies/agents:

• Clients get more informative and visual proposals
• Agencies deal with clients that have a more clear vision on a possible deal

How does augmented reality aid real estate business?

Almost every agency struggles when it comes to visualization of their catalog. The setbacks with all the tools in use are common:

• Print text descriptions of apartments say nothing (or very little) to buyers
• Photo ads are better, but still, you cannot show the whole realistic picture
• 3D models on mobile or desktop applications are interactive, and yet lack in full presentation
• Visiting each site along with customers is too time-consuming

Augmented reality tools and AR mobile apps in particular help tackle those issues nicely. With a single touch of the button, clients are able to all-angle AR models of any apartment of their interest. Without leaving the office or home, they may browse, compare and analyze flats/houses/offices in great detail. Moreover, they can also interact with it experiencing an ‘almost-present’ feeling.

Benefits of augmented reality in real estate

People adore everything new, sci-fi and entertaining. And clearly, you can fully use their interest for your own profit with this innovative tools to advertise and distribute your products:

• Print catalogs and big boards with AR to be more interactive;
• Geo-tags to help locate your items on sale in the real world, so customers can discover for themselves;
• New advertising possibilities;
• Animated ‘Contact us’ and other call-to-action buttons;
• Wide coverage with apps on Google Play and App Store.

Augmented reality visualization works much better than both photos and videos with a text description. And the more complex an object is the better assistance AR presentation offers. In this regard, you can:

• Accurately visualize large buildings through augmented 3D models
• With AR app features show apartments to clients, adjusting the style, furniture, surroundings, etc. along the way

According to various field studies, augmented reality in real estate gets customers more interested and involved. Same as the AR technology in general, as it is quite entertaining and fascinating. And it is not a secret, that one has a better chance, when dealing with engaged potential customers, to turn them into real customers buying products and services.

Obviously, most of the real estate clients want to visit apartments by themselves, before making the final decision about the purchase. While it hardly can be changed, Augmented Reality in real estate may significantly lower the numbers of exploratory visits, that people need to form an initial opinion.

• Exploring the AR catalog via a mobile app, clients may choose the site of interest even before going to the agency
• Realistically looking AR models allow clients to decide which real estate sites they do like and which they don’t.

Real Estate AR apps

Augmented reality applications for real estate basically fall into 3 categories regarding the complexity of development. While basic apps offer simple 3D objects appearing on your phone, more advanced apps may feature markers/QR codes to initiate AR, HQ interactive animations, etc.

Simple AR app	Advanced AR app	Enterprise AR app
Basic environment	Basic environment	High-quality environment
Simple object models	High-quality models	Detailed textures and lightning
Basic textures	High-quality textures	Object animations
Basic lightning	High-quality lightning	Realistic textures and objects
App Store adaptation	Sharing options	Interaction and sharing
Google Play adaptation	App Store adaptation	Database integration
	Google Play adaptation	App Store adaptation
	QR code for products	Google Play adaptation
		Custom landing page
		QR code for products

To illustrate what we are talking about, here are some AR apps in real estate already active on the market.

ARHouse

This app for iPhone/iPad devices is designed as a tool to create amazing and impressive presentations in AR format. Three-dimensional models are fully controlled and can be easily manipulated to show all benefits to the customers. Therefore, architects, construction companies and real estate agencies can make a great use of it. You are able to present an overall look of the estate or a view of the particular floor/room to customers with a smartphone.

ARHouse features:

• Visualizing projects wherever you need
• View an Augmented reality 3D model or blueprint without any additional tools
• Sharing models with customers, so they may check and revisit at any time

Realtor.com

A real estate app for Android devices primarily, also available for iOS has several AR features introduced and pending the patenting. The app is based around the image recognition feature that offers provides listing details and photos from a simple picture. Those 2 AR features, namely Street Peek and Sign Snap, allow people with smartphones point at a house or building and receive info from Realtor database. 

Visually pleasing and full of extensive data: you see the price, the address, number of beds and baths, square footage, as well as real estate agent contacts. Just walking around neighborhoods and holding a phone you can find what houses are on sale.

To summarize

Augmented reality basks in a great interest among smartphone owners and an optimistic business forecast for the future. As you see, some real estate agencies have already incorporated AR features into their mobile apps and reaping the benefits. If you’re a realtor or work for an agency, you should probably too. To get more insights on how we can help, check out how to make an AR app with Vuforia and Unity, and how to create virtual reality tours for real estate.