How would you like to be able to explore a new property situated exactly where it’s to be built, from the comfort of your home, before a brick is even laid? This is exactly what Earthware’s new product, ‘Virtual Neighbourhoods’ offers, by allowing potential buyers to interact with a property and its surrounding neighbourhood using Google Earth on their home PC.
‘Virtual Neighbourhoods’ use the most recent advances in technology, and aerial imagery, to allow property to be visualised by potential customers in the most compelling format – 3D! It can demonstrate the key benefits and features of a property, and its surrounding locality, via the internet, or face to face. It is also much more cost effective than traditional models, CAD and 3D imagery.
How does this work? Earthware creates 3D interactive models of properties and the wider area of a property development (e.g. trees, roads etc.) and then place these in their geographical context using Google Earth. This allows potential customers to access “off plan†information in a visually compelling way. Earthware can then add information specific to each property including virtual tours, property details, floor plans, images, price and availability.
In addition, Earthware add key information to allow potential customers to really understand the surrounding environment without the need for time consuming site visits. These would include information on schools (say OFTED reports and school web pages), health facilities (GP surgeries and hospitals including ratings), transport links, local areas of interest, Estate Agent offices, pubs, restaurants, supermarkets etc. and all these can be tailored to each client’s needs.
Earthware then provide this information in a number of different formats to suit each client. The most obvious may be via a website, however these can also be used in Estate Agent offices, on display screens, on promotional DVDs, during consultation phases of planning and as promotional gifts to potential customers – a customer could even receive a 3D version of their own property on completion!
“We are really proud of ‘Virtual Neighbourhoods’,†says Neil Osmond, Operations Director, “It is an innovative use of both mapping and technology to bring property to life. It really helps in engaging potential customers and has the advantage that it can be accessed by an internet connection, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week, from anywhere in the worldâ€. “We really think that over the next few years, this kind of approach will revolutionise off-plan marketing both in the UK and abroad.â€
‘Virtual Neighbourhoods’ also reduces the need for previously highly costly promotional marketing items such as property models, CAD drawings and artist impressions and has the additional advantage of being a fraction of the price.
‘Virtual Neighbourhoods’ was officially launched at PCS Expo at the Design Centre in Islington on the 16th and 17th October. Earthware would also be pleased to offer a demonstration of this new innovation and/or send a CD-ROM. Please email [email protected], visit www.earthware.co.uk or call 0845 642 9880.
