Frequently Asked Questions - Managing Brokers, Franchise Owners and Office Managers

Find answers to questions you might have about a variety of topics - including agent fees, camera operation, success measurement and more.

How much should I charge my agents?
Who should be in charge of operating the camera?
How should I pay my camera operators?
What are the requirements for a Matterport Pro Camera operator?
Can my agents brand their 3D Showcases?
How do I measure the success of my marketing?
How do I schedule my resource/camera?
How do I market Matterport to my agents?
How do I use it to attract agents to my brokerage?
How to turn Matterport into a revenue center
How do I put 3D Showcases on my MLS?
How do I capture 2D photos from my 3D Showcase?
Does this replace a professional photographer?
How many cameras will I need?

 

 

How much should I charge my agents?

Most brokerages opt to charge their agents a flat fee per listing based on the property’s square footage. Our brokerage customers typically price Matterport scans as follows, though pricing varies based on the market:

<3,000 sq ft = $75-150/listing
3,000-5,000 sq ft = $100-300/listing
>5,000 sq ft = $125-400/listing

These fees can be paid up front, billed monthly with other services provided by the brokerage to the agent or taken out of an agent’s commission once a home is sold. To encourage adoption, most brokerages subsidize the cost of long-term hosting and offer agent-friendly flat fees at launch.

 

Who should be in charge of operating the camera?

The Matterport Pro Camera is extremely simple to use. Training often takes less than 1 hour and can be accomplished after scanning a single listing. Many of our brokerage clients have trained interns, office assistants or have opted to hire local part-time contractors to operate the camera.  Most do not rent the camera directly to the agent for an agent’s use to minimize training and have consistent usage across a brokerage’s listings.

 

How should I pay my camera operators?

Camera operators can be paid hourly, as most properties take between 1 and 3 hours to scan, with rates tied to square footage or local minimum wage. Brokerages can also offer their camera operators tiered pricing based on square footage.

 

What are the requirements for a Matterport Pro Camera operator?

Entry-level employees or contractors can easily operate your Matterport Pro Camera. When recruiting a candidate, familiarity with iPads, connecting to WiFi, and the basics of point-and-shoot photography are an advantage.

      • No previous DSLR photography experience is required. The operator will need to be physically capable of setting up a tripod, carrying about 12lbs of equipment, and moving the mounted camera around a property.
      • This person may be a high-school student, a college intern, or a part-time employee.  Architecture and design students are often good choices, though any responsible student will be able to manage the camera effectively.

 

Can my agents brand their 3D Showcases?

If desired, you may allow your agents to include their own name on the splash screen of their 3D Showcases, to ensure that they get brand recognition wherever the 3D Showcase is displayed. Alternatively, you may include your own brokerage name to brand all of your 3D Showcases consistently. This branding will be displayed in the “Presented By” title slide when 3D Showcase is loading your Matterport Space as well as in the top left info box within the Space itself.

 

How do I measure the success of my marketing?

All Matterport Cloud Plans include analytics (called “Space Statistics”) for all of your 3D Spaces. This helps you understand how many people view and engage with your Matterport Spaces. You should also monitor how quickly homes featuring 3D Showcase are sold compared to your market’s average listing time to close. We also recommend that all brokers implement some form of web analytics, like Google Analytics, which gives you more insight into traffic sources, time on page, and may enable you to track the source of your best leads.

 

How do I schedule my resource/camera?

Even if you don’t already manage resources like photographers or web services, getting started with Matterport is easy!

      • Simply create a free Google Form to log scan requests from your agents, and leverage an internal admin resource to schedule your Pro Camera operator. By grouping sets of scans by neighborhood, you can reduce labor costs.
      • This same internal admin resource can also distribute links to your finished 3D Showcases to your agents.

 

How do I market Matterport to my agents?

Help your agents understand the value of Matterport with these helpful stats:

  • 92% of home buyers begin their property search online, and will spend 3 weeks researching before ever contacting an agent. Catching their interest early is key.
  • Matterport customers report that buyers are 60% more likely to email them about listings with Matterport 3D Showcase.
  • Matterport customers report that buyers are 95% more likely to call an agent once they’ve seen a property listed with Matterport 3D Showcase.
  • Use this collateral piece to promote Matterport within your company.

 

How do I use it to attract agents to my brokerage?

Matterport is often described as a “listing closer” which completely wows buyers and sellers alike during a listing presentation. Brokerages that offer Matterport often become a magnet for their market’s top agents, who naturally crave new tools to win listings. By investing in this new tool you are showing agents that you invest in their success.

Offer Matterport services at a favorable-to-market rate. Your agents will be more inclined to use it, and the brokerage’s gross commission income will rise with the incremental listings won in competitive situations over agents without Matterport. Contact Matterport to learn more about pricing effectively in your market.

 

How to turn Matterport into a revenue center

Brokerages that purchase their own Pro Camera and employ an operator report Matterport scanning services can be a profit generator. The implementation process is quick and easy and the Pro Camera will often pay for itself within 1-2 listings won, depending on the market. Some brokerages even discover they can offer the service to independent agents or other brokerages.

 

How do I put 3D Showcases on my MLS?

You’ll automatically get both a branded and unbranded simple URL for your 3D Showcase. Use the MLS-appropriate version for your listings, which you can paste into an existing virtual tour field in most MLSs. If your MLS restricts agent branding, you can also use the unbranded link.

 

How do I capture 2D photos from my 3D Showcase?

You can easily extract 2D photography from your 3D Showcase by using the Snapshot feature in the Workshop application, accessible via your Matterport Cloud account. It’s as easy as taking a screenshot, and you can take as many as you want in order to populate 2D galleries on your site or in other marketing channels. You can also export 2D photography in specific dimensions for use in existing web galleries or MLSs. Read more details in this article.

 

Does this replace a professional photographer?

Many agents choose to use Matterport 3D Showcase in conjunction with professional photography for a complete marketing package. Matterport’s photographs are excellent for online marketing and quickly printed brochures. Depending on your market, it might make sense to use both, or to only use Matterport if your marketing is mostly online.

 

How many cameras will I need?

This depends on your listing volume. A small boutique brokerage will usually be able to scan 2-10 listings per week. If your listing volume exceeds 10 properties per week, you may require a second or a third camera. You can always start with one and add more to your account as you grow.