Photosynth. Is It The Newest Trend In Real Estate?
August 28th, 2008 Categories: Buyer's Corner, Selling Thoughts, Trends
Personnally, I haven’t seen it used by very many agents in Boulder Colorado, but I’m sure it’s out there and will progress quickly. I read more and more about it each day. 
Photosynth or photo tourism is a collection of high resolution images displayed dramatically in 3D! Hundreds of pictures can be uploaded, virtually walking you through a home. Will this benefit sellers when listing their real estate? Could this be the advantage an agent needs when interviewing for a listing appointment? Or will it keep buyers from viewing properties since they can see everything without even entering the house? Is it affordable and easy?
THE PROS
1) Photosynth takes vast amounts of overlapping photos and reconstructs them into a pseudo 3D world. More images = better tour. An agent could take 400 photos in a house and instead of virtual tours, users can walk themselves through the house.
2) Rises above Google’s Street View. This technology will only become more and more advanced. Add scences from video, travel through time three-dimensionally, taking virtual tours to a whole new level.
3) Makes it easier for out of state buyers. Makes it easier for sellers to advertise to out of state buyers. Microsoft says that photosynth puts viewers in the center of the real estate and in control of how they experience it.
4) Allows technologically motivated agents to bring better virtual tours to homebuyers, putting them “a step above the rest”.
THE CONS
1) I have seen comments such as, “It doesn’t support most operating systems.”, “System has glitches.” As for myself, I was unable to install the program.
2) If not professionally done, time consuming for listing agents. Must be able to follow software system and take hundreds of photos.
3) Will it really get buyers to your listing or will it be easier for them to eliminate properties prematurely? I don’t think it will be better than the real thing.
To conclude, photosynth is the new technology from Microsoft Live Labs that may change real estate forever. Photosynth enables participants to walk or fly through a scene to see photos from any angle. Seamlessly zoom in or out of a photo. Whether it’s megapixels or gigapixels in size, see where pictures were taken in relation to one another. Find similar photos to the one you’re currently viewing and take your real estate experience to a whole new level. Let me know what you think. Can’t live without it or think it’s a passing trend?
