Say good bye to open houses.
An international real estate firm and a New York tech startup are teaming up to give real estate seekers a new way to check out properties — virtual reality.
Nest Seekers International joined forces with Long Island City-based Mythic VR to let potential buyers explore every nook and cranny of properties under construction. Users put on a headset that fully covers their eyes and move hand controllers to walk around the property.
The rendering is so exact that users can physically turn on light switches and pull up the blinds. During the experience, they can also check prices and other details about the apartment.
“This is a medium that buyers really like,” said Carolyn Chappelle, 50, real-estate agent at Nest Seekers International.
“They are usually blown away,” she added. “It’s just a matter of time before word spreads and it catches on.”
She’s using the system to show buyers virtual apartments at 170-174 West St. in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Apartments in the six-floor building near the Greenpoint waterfront range from $885,688 to $3.3 million.
“For people who already buy from floor plans, this helps them to move forward,” said Michael Koutsoubis, 27, co-founder of Mythic VR.
The co-founders of the startup have backgrounds in architectural design and 3D modeling, according to the company’s profile.
For new developments, it takes about a month to create virtual renderings of three of four different apartments. Mythic charges between $4 to $6 per square foot or about $30,000 for an entire building.
“It’s a fraction of the cost developers use to create mock up models,” Chappelle said. “It’s really a cost saver and a time saver.”
