News

Exploring Off-The-Plan Properties Before Completion

August 16, 2024

By Jones Editorial Team

6 min read

The role of Virtual Reality technology

Investing in real estate, especially off-the-plan properties, can be both exciting and daunting. The concept of purchasing a property before it’s fully constructed offers numerous advantages, yet certain reservations are understandable.

One of the critical steps in the property buying process is inspecting the home.

Traditionally, off-the-plan buyers have had limited opportunities to visualise their future home before construction completion.

Off-the-plan inspections are traditionally done through site visits, display apartments, concepts and by viewing 2D floor plans.

However, with advancements in technology, Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D tools represent a significant shift in the real estate industry, revolutionising the pre-construction and construction phases of a project for buyers.

These tools provide prospective buyers with unprecedented insights and experiences into developments, before construction is complete.

We have also taken advantage of the latest in Virtual Reality technology. By designing a brand-new, state-of-the-art virtual experience, we offer off-the-plan buyers an almost real-life full walk-through of an entire apartment.

Through virtual reality goggles, buyers can now see what could become their future home without having to wait for construction completion, and without fighting through a herd of people usually found at home opens.

Challenges of traditional inspection methods

Historically, inspecting off-the-plan properties has been limited to physical visits to the construction site, a display suite or viewing two-dimensional floor plans.

While these methods offer understanding of the layout and design, they often don’t fully provide a comprehensive feel for the space.

By utilising VR headsets, prospective buyers can virtually walk through properties that are still in the planning or construction phases.

This immersive experience allows them to explore an accurate scale floor plan, interior schemes, balcony views from all levels, all the finishes up in close detail and understand spatial dimensions with remarkable realism.

Inspecting off-the-plan properties

Realistic Visualisation: VR enables buyers to see almost exactly how the property will look and feel once completed, from different angles and perspectives. They can get a feel of the realistic space, layout, and finishes.

Early Detection of Issues: By exploring the virtual property, buyers can identify potential problems or areas for improvement before construction is complete.

Interactive Experience: Users can interact with elements within the virtual space, such as opening doors, switching lights, or changing interior finishes.

Customisation: For early buyers, VR experiences also provide you with a great opportunity to make customisations to the floor plan design and can allow you to experiment with different interior schemes and customisation options offered by the developer.

This may include structural changes, for example, moving a wall or changing a room configuration, or interior changes such as upgrading to timber flooring or adding custom wardrobe joinery, and appliance changes like integrating fridges and dishwashers.

These types of changes are generally only available during the early release or construction phase of a project; however, this experience allows buyers to end up with a one-of-a-kind home that perfectly suits their exact needs.

What is a Virtual Reality Experience?

Our Virtual Reality walkthrough is an in-person experience, where participants wear virtual reality goggles at our office in West Leederville.

This allows participants to:

Conduct an in-person virtual inspection of the apartment designs.
See every room in the apartment in detail.
Get an accurate scale, depth and spatial awareness of the floorplan.
See an accurate virtual replica of the finishes and schemes.
See the apartment come to life with furnishings and decor.
Make customisations (if available for the development).

We currently have Virtual Reality experiences available for our Marbella Beachside Scarborough and Chapel Hill Como projects.

Explore the apartment designs ahead of completion

Like a Virtual Reality experience, online 3D tours offer an immersive experience of a property, allowing potential buyers to explore spaces virtually as if they were physically present.

The best thing is an online 3D tour can be done from the comfort of their own home.

For real estate developers, this technology has also transformed the way properties are showcased and marketed.

3D tours are created using specialised cameras or software that capture the entire space in detail. The captured data is then processed to create an interactive virtual model.

Viewers can explore the space freely, zooming in on specific areas, and even measuring distances.

Benefits for buyers:

3D tours provide a more realistic representation of a property compared to traditional photos or videos.
See inside the property before construction completion.
Explore the property to see detail and whether it suits their needs.
Explore properties from anywhere in the world.
Benefits buyers with mobility challenges or those unable to physically view properties.
Narrow down options before physical visits, saving time and effort.
Easily compare multiple properties side-by-side.
Gain a deeper understanding of the property and visualise their life there.
A thorough virtual tour can help buyers feel more confident in their decisions.

Not only benefitting buyers, but developers are also seeing the benefits of 3D tours.

Benefits for developers:

Interactive 3D tours capture attention better than traditional photos or videos.
Showcase unique selling points, highlight specific features or amenities in a compelling way.
Capture potential buyer information and generate leads through interactive elements within the tour.
Differentiate from competition and stand out in a crowded market by offering cutting-edge technology.
Improve sales team efficiency so sales agents can spend more time addressing buyer questions and closing deals.
High-quality 3D tours reflect a developer’s commitment to innovation and quality.

We employ 3D tours to allow potential buyers to explore current and future developments.

These online 3D experiences allow you to see:

The views from levels, up to the rooftop.
The current apartment availability list and pricing.
A gallery of renders, floor plans and project brochures.
A tour of the location and the interiors of specific apartments, including all rooms.
Interior finishes including the colour scheme options and upgrade finishes.
The nearby amenities of the location and surrounding suburbs.
The amenities available in the building.

Immersive, visually captivating experiences allow users to fully visualise an apartments’ potential, helping them envision their life within the space. This creates a more profound emotional attachment to the investment and helps them make more informed decisions.

View an example of an online 3D tour currently available for The Promontory Apartments at Chapel Hill.

The future of off-the-plan property inspections

VR and the growth of technology has emerged as a game-changer in the real estate industry.

These technologies empower buyers with more information and confidence in their investment decisions, while allowing developers to showcase their projects in innovative ways.

As VR and other technologies become more mainstream, their role in property inspection will likely become indispensable, setting new standards for transparency, efficiency, and customer satisfaction in the real estate market.

If you’d like to view some of our current projects that run Virtual Reality inspections, you can learn more about those projects and request a booking via the below links.