Housing operators urged to boost sales with virtual reality

The Chief Executive Officer of The Brooks Africa, David Onoja, has advised real estate operators to boost sales by adopting virtual augmented reality tours.

In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, Onoja said the new technology, which had been revolutionising property exploration for home buyers, when integrated with artificial intelligence, virtual property tours were possible.

He said, “With the use of this technology, prospective buyers may view properties remotely, getting a true feel of the room layout and size. We can improve these virtual tours with interactive elements, intelligent voice assistants, and customised recommendations by incorporating artificial intelligence, providing a remarkable user experience.

“By adopting AI, we can increase efficiency, create new opportunities, and enhance the client experience. By embracing AI technology, we can provide better services to our clients, and drive sustainable growth in the ever-evolving real estate landscape.”

In the same vein, a realtor, Oreoluwa Akinyo-ojo, said the era of needing to personally visit numerous properties for prospective homebuyers to make educated choices was gradually fading away.

She said, “The introduction of virtual augmented reality tours has brought about a revolutionary shift, empowering buyers to assess properties from a distance, all within the confines of their own living spaces. By utilising high-definition images, 360-degree videos, and interactive walkthroughs, virtual tours deliver an engaging and lifelike encounter, granting buyers the opportunity to scrutinise every detail of a property.

“This innovation not only saves economic time and energy but also extends the scope of real estate listings to a worldwide clientele.”

Meanwhile, an estate valuer, Olorunyomi Alatise, said virtual tours were suitable when buying properties but could not take the place of physical inspection considering the Nigerian property market.

He said, “Virtual tours help the prospective buyer to have a pictorial idea of what the property looks like and sometimes, they make decisions based on the videos/pictures of the property they have seen. But considering the rate of misrepresentation in the Nigerian property market, physical inspection still has its place because most times pictures or videos do not represent the state of the property as it is.”