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We’ve been getting more calls for floor plans lately, so I wanted to try to explain some of the Floor Plan creation tools that are available to us in our Real Estate Market here in the Florida Keys. Buyers and Sellers ask for them often and it is a robust piece of listing content that makes it easier for a buyer to be informed and helps get your listing sold or rented more quickly.
Our local Board of Realtors (FKBR) through their relationship with FLEX is now offering floor plans for $29 each delivered next day. Anyone can create them with a smart phone, app and software. After creating an account and downloading the FloPlan app to your phone, one is able to scan the listing with the phone (in 10-20 minutes) and submit it, along with $29 to get a floor plan. This is an affordable option, especially for tech savvy Realtors and listings without Matterport 3D Tours. The FloPlan Floor Plan is nearly identical to the basic floor plans included with a Matterport 3D scan but without having to actually purchase a Matterport tour or perform one on your own. Here is a Matterport Floor Plan sample for reference.
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It looks like the content wars have begun. Matterport 3D tours have been getting special branding on Realtor.com for some time now. Now Zillow.com has created their own 3D tour product that features the following marketing perks.
- Premium placement in search results on Zillow.com for the first seven days that the listing is posted.
- Inclusion in special email pushes to home shoppers prompting them to view the listing and 3D tour.
- Special red 3D home badge that helps them stand out on both Zillow and Trulia search result maps. *See Sample Graphic
- Home shoppers can filter search results to only homes with Zillow 3D tours which helps your listing gain more visibility when people narrow their search
Here is a sample from one of my favorite condos in Islamorada, Summer Seas.
A tiny home in the neighborhood!
Pros
The pros for choosing a Zillow 3D tour in addition to the additional marketing already covered is certainly the affordability and speed. It takes about 15 minutes to get this done at most homes which limits the time needed on site to shoot the home making this the most economical 3D tour option. Great for owner occupied homes and condos with amenities. Homeowners can go for a short walk or simply move out of the way of the camera with me. Exterior areas are included with this option regardless of sunlight and proximity to primary home, can sometimes pose a challenge for a Matterport scan. Currently Zillow is offering perpetual hosting at no charge, which is a huge plus for short term transient rental properties and vacation rental business owners! No annual hosting fees!
Cons
The drawbacks of a Zillow 3D tour over Matterport 3D is the lack of the ever popular “Dollhouse View” which is dramatic and gives the end user another way to navigate the space. Matterport also offers real virtual reality, the ability to measure rooms and create floor plans which is not an option for the Zillow 3D tour as of yet. The picture quality is close, but Matterport still has the edge. We may have a fix forthcoming for that so stay tuned!
Conclusion
Zillow 3D tours are an affordable option offering the proverbial “two birds one stone.” Providing a virtual tour that can be used anywhere with no annual fees (I’m talking to you, vacation rental business owners in Marathon!) plus bonus marketing on the Zillow/Trulia platform at no additional cost. A 2020 NAR study (*Exhibit 3-8) ranked virtual tours "very useful" high among all ages. Zillow 3D upgrade pricing is $75-$150 depending on the home size and complexity of the job. Let’s schedule your new property visual today!
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In anticipation of Halloween ~ a Frankenstein creation of my own for your viewing pleasure!
Last week we shot 215 Jerome Avenue in Islamorada for Keith Allen at Century 21 Island Life TheRealKeys.com. Keith always wants the works, but the home was unfurnished and the main feature was really its location near the Islamorada Arts and Cultural District. No, the Caboose doesn’t come with the house. Funny side story...I actually lived on that street when the Caboose was delivered and it was quite the spectacle. Late one night in March of 2013 everyone in the Neighborhood put down their beers or whatever to behold the second coming of Henry Flagler clickity clacking right by our humble windows down Jerome Avenue. One neighbor thought he was hallucinating. This is a photo from the next day, when they were transferring the Caboose from the truck to the small section of railroad tracks behind this very home.
Anyway, we ended up shooting the photos, Matterport 3D scan and some aerial video that day. Since I had some extra time, I shot some ground based video throughout the art district to add to this as well as other videos. When I returned to the office, I regretted not shooting video for the inside of the home, but realized that the Matterport might just have what I needed to round out the property video with some interior motion shots and this is the finished product.
Perfect for Dark Homes with a View
It’s always a challenge to balance the interior and exterior light, especially when shooting video and everybody knows I hate blown out or faked out window views. I think that for a dark home with dark ceilings, using the Matterport to generate the interior video, is awesome way to create the perfect cinematic video to effectively market that type of property both inside and outside at an affordable price.
New Marketing Support Tools on the Horizon
We're probably going to have to come up with a new package for this hybrid and we just received a new 3D Marketing Kit which I will use to become a Zillow Certified Photographer. I’m excited to finally have a direct line to a technical support person at Zillow that will help me provide and be knowledgeable about the media types rewarded by Zillow.com and will enable me to maximize the exposure for our clients marketing on Zillow.com