AgentRelay Develops a Virtual Viewing Platform to Power Agent-Guided 3D Tours with Matterport
Using the Matterport SDK, the company built a platform that enables clients to remotely guide buyers through digital twins of properties anytime, anywhere and help close deals quicker
A Partnership Built on Innovation
AgentRelay knew it could become a valuable resource for the real estate industry by translating the immediacy of an in-person tour with the convenience of a virtual experience. The company also saw an opportunity to engage directly with anonymous visitors to real estate listing pages through live chat, messaging apps, and online forms to register those visitors for in-person or virtual viewings.
The innovative company recognized that high-quality virtual viewings can get buyers excited about a property, while increasing an agent’s success at closing deals. To realize its vision, AgentRelay used the Matterport SDK to develop a software platform that supercharges the value of 3D tours created with Matterport digital twins.
AgentRelay’s real estate clients use a Matterport Pro2 or a 360-degree camera of choice to capture detailed, immersive digital twins of properties. Clients can then incorporate those digital twins into the AgentRelay platform, which allows agents to guide potential buyers through virtual 3D tours as if they were walking throughout the home in person.
“Matterport offers truly superior virtual experiences. It’s helped us provide a powerful virtual platform for our clients,” says Dan Cattermole, AgentRelay CEO. “The emphasis on quality and accuracy makes Matterport a market leader, and it’s why we’re proud to be a Matterport Platform Partner.”
Immersive Virtual Viewings
Data-rich Matterport digital twins offer dimensionally-accurate, easy-to-navigate walk-throughs of properties. With AgentRelay, buyers can request private guided tours in just minutes and brokers can take them through multiple Matterport 3D tours in a single virtual viewing, reducing travel time and helping them quickly hone in on properties of interest. One AgentRelay client, independent real estate agency Le Rossignol Estates, saves an estimated 60 minutes for each unproductive physical viewing, which can account for as many as 75% of in-person viewings.
The process is equally efficient for real estate agents because they can access the 3D tour of property simultaneously and take multiple buyers to the virtual “open house” without needing to schedule an appointment or worry about bumping into another prospective buyer. The bonus is enhanced privacy since people can’t see each other or access private information. Nor does the AgentRelay platform require software downloads or a complicated screen-sharing setup.
Brokers rely on video conferencing, voice calls, and chat capacities to seamlessly walk people through Matterport digital twins and point out every detail they would during an in-person showing, such as appliances, floors, and light fixtures.
“Through our Matterport partnership, we create virtual experiences that can match the value of in-person real estate viewings, but with the added convenience of being able to join from anywhere on any device,” says Cattermole. “AgentRelay’s In-Tour Visitor Engagement and Insights capabilities help our clients improve lead generation and return on marketing spend.”
Offering this service is crucial as homebuyers and even sellers demand more responsive online experiences.
For AgentRelay client Uni2, a company that leases approximately 1,500 student rooms in Nottingham in the UK and surrounding areas, has seen a 58% cost savings and a 38% increase in conversion rate since using AgentRelay and Matterport to facilitate initial student virtual viewings.
Recent innovations like the AgentRelay platform integration with Google Maps and Street View paint more comprehensive pictures of Uni2’s properties. And students can even digitally measure the spaces to ensure their belongings will fit.
“The AgentRelay virtual viewing platform with Matterport digital twins is a great way of showing students both detailed views of student rooms, as well as the wider community around them,” says Frank Power, Lettings Negotiator for Uni2. “We can now co-view photos, videos, and floorplans during our guided viewings.”
Opening Doors to the Future
Though virtual real estate viewings became standard during the COVID-19 lockdowns, they’re still in high demand as the housing market rebounds. AgentRelay’s partnership with Matterport helps meet those demands by making it easy for real estate agencies to showcase high-quality virtual tours for clients through their platform.
Even as in-person showings resume, clients are making the virtual viewings an integral part of their entire sales process, insisting that potential buyers take individual guided tours of properties before making an appointment to physically walk through a home. This saves a lot of time for both agents and clients because they avoid unnecessary appointments and travel.
“Matterport digital twins make the process of showing and selling properties much more efficient,” says Cattermole. “We’re proud to partner with Matterport because of how it has helped us evolve and innovate our industry.”
AgentRelay is a Matterport Platform Partner that leverages Matterport’s APIs and SDKs to build and commercialize their apps and integrations with Matterport’s market-leading spatial data platform. As a Platform Partner, they gain access to a range of commercial benefits, such as Matterport’s distribution network and enhanced support as well as co-marketing and co-selling programs to help them successfully monetize their applications. To learn more about the Platform Partner Program and apply to join, visit https://matterport.com/platform-partner-program
ABOUT AGENTRELAY
AgentRelay empowers real estate firms to harness the full potential of 3D tours created with Matterport digital twins. With the AgentRelay platform, brokers can connect with potential buyers online, offer them immersive virtual tours, and capture data about viewers to improve marketing.
HEADQUARTERSLondon, England
PRODUCTS Matterport Pro 2, API, SDK, Android
