With almost half of buyers turning to the internet as the first step in the home search process, the way a home listing appears online can make or break a sale. Staging is key, as potential buyers need to be able to visualize themselves in a space. But picturing yourself in a photo of an empty room isn’t easy.
Virtual staging app roOomy, a web platform and app that allows users to virtually furnish an image of a room, has expanded it’s offerings to include virtual stagings of 3D walkthrough tours through a partnership with Matterport, an immersive 3D media technology company that designs interactive 3D tours for online listings. Builders and multifamily professionals will be able to furnish and stage a 3D rendering of a space which home shoppers will be able to virtually “walk through” online.
Previously, roOomy users were able to decorate photos of blank rooms with real furniture from a database of thousands of products from retailers such as Wayfair, Amazon, and Crate & Barrel to create more realistic model stagings for online listings in a cost-effective way. In October, the company launched ARKit optimization, allowing iphone users to experience the photos in a more realistic way with 3D augmented and virtual reality stagings.
The partnership with Matterport with bring roOomy’s furniture staging capabilities to Matterport’s 3D online walkthroughs. Now, users can take an empty space and virtually furnish and stage it, whereas before, they could only view Matterport’s 3D spaces unfurnished, or those that were furnished using traditional real life staging. Click here to see an example of what the finished staged tour would look like.
“Our mission at roOomy is to break down the visualization barriers that often accompany the home buying or renting process, while also making it easier and more enjoyable to shop for your new space,” said Pieter Aarts, co-founder and CEO of roOomy in a statement. “This new collaboration with Matterport eliminates the many hurdles and extra steps that often come with physical staging and allows buyers and renters to see and feel an optimized rendition of the listing from anywhere.”
Customers will even be able to purchase furniture used in the listings by clicking through an embedded link. The software is still in its pilot phase and is expected to launch later in 2018.
