Making Innovation EasyBy Keith Loria
Zillow's 3D Home Technology a Game Changer for Real Estate Pros and Their Clients
Chris Zinn has been in real estate since 2005, and leads a team which averages approximately 175 home sales a year in Tulsa, Okla. He attributes a big part of his success to tactics and tools provided by Zillow. So, it was no surprise that he and his team were one of the first to pilot Zillow's 3D Home experience. "Our strategy uses Zillow's zip codes, views and 3D Home tours—we take advantage of all of it," says Zinn. According to Zinn, he originally started using Zillow's 3D Home App. "It became something that we offered that sellers really appreciated, and it began to be a way we differentiated ourselves," he explains. "Then about a year ago, we piloted the Ricoh Theta cameras and it's been working great, much better than the app. It's a more in-depth view of the home." To create a 3D Home tour with a 360 camera, Zinn explains, all he needs is the Ricoh Theta V and an iPhone with the Zillow 3D Home app installed. The app and camera allow him to quickly capture panoramas of each room in the home and link them together, which takes an average of 10-15 minutes. "What I like about it is that it doesn't show so much that buyers feel like they don't need to come see the house at all," says Zinn. "Some platforms provide so much information, people feel like they've seen it all. This leaves them wanting a little bit more." Members of Zinn's team make sure that they highlight Zillow's 3D Home solution during listing presentations for potential clients, underscoring their competitive differentiation. "We explain that normal virtual tours get pushed down in the rankings, but the 3D Home tours are easy to find and click on, which makes their home more accessible—and they like that," says Zinn. "This is probably the most cost-effective way of creating a virtual tour to put on the largest real estate platform on the planet." Big Value for Clients Christie Cannon, a team leader in Frisco, Texas, began working with Zillow about six years ago, understanding that the platform offered something both buyers and sellers alike were going to be heavily utilizing when searching for homes. "We began utilizing the 3D Home technology from Zillow as soon as it was introduced into the Dallas market," she says. "We were one of the early adopters, and our in-house photographer was able to utilize the equipment and very quickly get the tours completed while she was there photographing the homes." Cannon and her team appreciate how easy it is to use and, more importantly, how it takes so little time to create the tour. "We always want to provide the best marketing and value for our clients, so we immediately understood the value-add of the 3D Home tours," she says. "For our sellers, it has provided a tremendous value as an additional marketing tool for their home, and it also allows buyers a quick walk-through to give them a better idea and view of a home's floor plan and features." Besides, clients appreciate that their listings are going to not only show up on Zillow, but also have additional marketing features, such as the 3D Home tour, which will increase a home's visibility to potential buyers and help get it sold faster. According to Cannon, she will continue to provide the 3D Home tours on all of the team's listings, as it doesn't cost any additional money to provide the service to clients. "One of our favorite things to show our sellers is how we are outpacing the overall number of views on their home compared to other homes on the market," Cannon says. "This is made possible by providing the additional marketing through the 3D Home tours, and of course great photos." For more information, please visit www.zillow.com/marketing/3d-home/. Keith Loria is a contributing editor to RISMedia. |
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