In every industry, there’s a point of uncertainty, that in the best-case scenario, turns into rapid growth. This is what happened with real estate in the year of 2020. Is it a step forward or a step back? Depends on how you analyze it.
Speaking of expectations, the real estate market in California hasn’t stopped functioning during the pandemic. Quite the opposite, our clients have expected from us, agents, to come up with new solutions and ideas for providing the highest quality service for both buyers and sellers.
This is where virtual reality has transformed from a convenient additional feature to a practical and urgent need or in other words, the only option left.
Luckily, almost every aspect of our business migrated to the internet. From meetings on Zoom, virtual open houses, virtual design and rendering, to signing important documentations via DocuSign. But that’s not something completely new for us. Virtual experience however, needed to become so captivating, to completely replace the reality we’ve been used to.
Setting high standards means it’s harder to meet expectations. Me and my colleagues have relocated our efforts into learning how to keep the business going, to stay on the track with all the technical innovations.
In the chaotic, fast-paced environment, it’s become satisfying to be able to showcase the vision I have when I see a property or a plot of land. That is much easier now, since my clients slowly start to adapt and want to see my team’s virtual solutions and ideas for redecorating, remodeling or renovating the target property. Sometimes, it’s not about big changes. This is the case when the only missing ingredient in someone’s decision of choosing their future home, is virtual staging. Making it possible to create extremely realistic visual representations and being able to choose high-end pieces of furniture for them to purchase and implement in the interior of the home they’re about to buy, is an opportunity for me and my team to express our creativity and to visually communicate with people, connecting on a different level. The only problem is the question they often have, is this real or not?
But going further into completely immersive technology, using VR headsets allows people to indulge in the world of options and imagine themselves in a certain space in a way they wouldn’t be able to, if it wasn’t for virtual design. Interactive design, that allows you to view the property from the comfort of your home, and to walk through every room, looking at the outdoor views from the windows, means that you can get a simple, time and money-saving closer look to the properties you like, even when they’re in another city or country. It seems like the global real estate market really becomes global, and making a connection or closing a deal is getting more simple and more possible than ever.
However, despite the powerful tools that have shown up in tough times, people will always be interested in spending time in a property, being physically, not virtually present.
The main contribution to our lives as realtors is the fact that clients are more open to experiencing new things and more interested in incorporating them into their decisions. For me, real estate became an empty canvas, that gives me the freedom to create new opportunities for my clients. Whether it’s a completely virtual, unbuilt property on a piece of land that my clients are selling, or a carefully picked piece of furniture, as a part of the design plan for my future buyers, I’m able to enjoy the fantastic feedback I get from the people I work with. Collaboration and communication between my global colleagues, partners and me is also easier than ever. That’s what I call – the real future. Virtual reality has become our present, since it’s already here as a change for the better, but it’s on us to make it into something magnificent.
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Contact
Tim Rangel
25 East Napa Street
Sonoma, CA 95476
DRE#: 1280958
Philosophy
“Building your own home is about desire, fantasy. But it’s achievable anyone can do it.”
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