Experience the luxury of your next Outer Banks vacation — before you book

Settled close to the ocean on Hatteras Island is 3 Martinis, a luxury sound front home open to renting by Midgett Realty. Guests can access the one-of-a-kind comforts and features of this home through its 3D immersive tour. By capturing the premium vacation rental with Matterport products, Midgett Realty gives potential renters the opportunity to explore the home in stunning detail.

We caught up with Nate Gray, staff photographer for Midgett Realty, to learn more about the company’s premium vacation rentals and how the team uses Matterport products to stand out in the real estate industry.

What inspired the 3D capture of this space?

Virtual 3Dl experiences are the road ahead for real estate and rental property marketing and missing this technology train was not something Midgett Realty was content to do. For the past few years, we have taken advantage of Matterport’s offerings via the Pro2 cameras, Capture app, and online workspace. 3 Martinis is one of Midgett Realty’s many premium vacation rentals that uses 3D technology, which allows future guests an in-depth look at what they can expect during their island retreat. Capturing these 3D spaces allows us to give that extra level of quality assurance to guests, as well as to the owners of these beautiful homes. It’s Midgett Realty’s goal to have all of our properties represented in this way.

What are the “must-sees” you want visitors to explore and why?

One of my favorite features is the Mattertags. Using these pin-like tags, visitors of the 3D space can navigate directly from the Living Level to the pool area, and from the pool area to the top-most deck with just the click of a button. From the loft deck you will find the coup de grâce of this home: the view. The sunsets over the Pamlico Sound are truly something to behold! Viewers will also find respectively labeled Mattertags on the button panel inside the elevator, making it convenient to move from floor to floor just as if you were operating the real thing. 

In addition to the plethora of Mattertag applications, Matterport offers the Highlight Reel — a quite versatile feature. Instead of using it to link together a fade-in-fade-out slideshow of 360s, I use the “walkthrough” option to create an automated virtual tour. Upon pressing the play button, the viewer is taken around the house from room to room, showing off the size, décor, amenities, and views at 3 Martinis. As an added bonus, the speed and transition settings for the Highlight Reel are now highly customizable!

What’s the one thing you want visitors to take away after exploring your 3D tour?

Like many others who invest their hard-earned income toward summer getaways, we want potential visitors of the Outer Banks to take advantage of all the research tools at their disposal before committing to a booking. Matterport’s interactive tours give an open door into the full experience of what island rentals have to offer. I can almost hear the conversations family members have as they explore: “Honey, it has an indoor sauna.” “An indoor sauna? Probably for one person.” “Nope. I just found this measuring tool! Looks like it can fit about 6 people.”

A house is more than the sum of its photos, and although a virtual 3D experience may not fully give the sensation of being there in person, from floor plans to many scans, it can get you mighty close!

What are the benefits of Matterport digital twins?

For years, vacation rentals have been visually represented by a gallery of traditional still images, and, on occasion, a semi-virtual tour. During this digital era, the term “virtual tour” is most used to describe a series of two-dimensional images presented in a familiar slideshow format. These galleries and virtual tours have served future visitors to Cape Hatteras in a very effective way. But as with anything, technology found a new way forward. Enter fully interactive 3D virtual tours from Matterport. Matterport and its technology have been gamechangers. 

If I were to sum up the advantages of a digital twin in three words, they would be as follows: one-stop-shop. Capturing a single digital twin with Matterport allows me to kill two proverbial birds with one stone. Okay, more than two birds — photos, floor plans, pool measurements, photos, expedited answers to FAQs and maintenance queries, and high-resolution photos.

Do you have any plans to capture more 3D experiences?

I absolutely do! Well-managed vacation rentals are a staple for the Outer Banks, in which digital photography plays a front-and-center role. New and seasoned owners alike rely on these services to make their homes all they can be for visitors. The pace at which houses change hands for various reasons continues to remain steady, which highlights the need to update these rentals with accurate and detailed visual representation through photos and fully interactive tours. For as long as this pattern maintains, I intend to capture as many 3D virtual tours as I can.

Anything else you would like to add?

Of all the ways Matterport’s 3D technology has proven helpful in real estate photography, the most notable is the degree to which their customers are heard. I appreciate their openness to feedback and using said feedback to create stronger product offerings at every turn. Though I have merely scratched the surface of what they provide, Matterport’s innovation and frequent updates continue to inspire my exploration into the world of digital photography.