Want a way to help homebuyers better visualize a property’s potential? Try incorporating augmented reality (AR). AR technology, through various smartphone and tablet apps, overlays digital images and information onto real environments, showcasing the possibilities.
Here are some ideas for using AR in your real estate business:
Stage on the Go
A furnished room helps buyers get a feel for the space. If you are showing an empty property, use an AR staging app to display different furniture arrangements and color schemes—personalizing the rooms in real time.
Demonstrate Modifications
Does the kitchen need a makeover? AR can aid in envisioning what the kitchen would look like with different cabinets, countertops, or other design alterations.
Enhance Virtual Tours
If you are showing a home virtually, pictures and video are helpful. However, there are still details that can be missed. With an AR virtual tour, the experience is more interactive. For example, viewers can get specifics on flooring, room dimensions, and the type of kitchen appliances.
Add Value to Your Marketing Materials
Include a location-based AR code, similar to a QR code, on your listing materials, business cards, or other advertising to offer insights on the property, local schools, amenities, and traffic patterns.
By offering ways to reduce uncertainty, you assist buyers in improving their decision-making and connection to a property.
Note: Remember that Article 12 of the NAR Code of Ethics requires that REALTORS® be honest and truthful in their real estate communications and present a true picture in their advertising, marketing and other representations. Therefore, make sure all usage of AR is clearly labeled as such.
Additionally, before uploading AR-staged photos, always check your specific MLS’s rules and regulations. Most publish their rules on their websites, and when in doubt, seek written guidance from your local MLS. Agents should also avoid misleading edits that could cross ethical or copyright lines. Lastly, obtain proper permission from photographers before using AR enhancements on images, and make sure you have proper authorization to use and display the digital components and designs, as unauthorized use could result in copyright claims, MLS violations, or other penalties.