As I’ve mentioned many times in recent blogposts, the importance of technology in the real estate industry can’t be understated. Whether you’re an agent or a client, gadgets such as smartphones and iPads have become essential tools when dealing with real estate. Currently, there’s a new piece of technology that’s getting ready to bring the industry further into the 21st century, and that invention is the Matterport 3D camera, a device that will completely change the way that real estate clients view homes when looking to buy.

“This groundbreaking technology allows the consumer to walk through the home from their computer in a big, bold, immersive experience,” said Matthew Rand, Managing Partner at Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty. “It lets you zoom in and out and creates a digital floor-plan view of the space.”

With the ability to provide thorough walkthroughs of homes online, potential buyers can become familiar with whichever house they view. You can navigate each section of the home, take in every detail, and feel like you’re taking a real tour of the house. Not only can you look around the home, but you can also see a dollhouse view of the property, which removes the roof and walls of the home and allows you to see a complete floor plan. Afterwards, homebuyers can decide if they want to visit the home in person, based on what they saw.

“It really gives you a lot of information and attracts people to the listing,” said Matthew Vanacoro, Real Estate Associate Broker for Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty.  “It’s also something that you can’t find on many listing sites. Rand Realty is the only agency that has this technology right now in our area. The Matterport cameras are going to be used in all of the offices for all of our Distinctive Collection properties, and if the project is successful, we will be rolling it out to our entire listing inventory. It will take a while, though, given that we have over 3,000 listings at any one time.”

Besides the 3D walkthroughs, Matterport will soon offer several other special features, such as being able to take measurements, leave notes, and renovate a room. These features, combined with the actual 3D tours, culminate in the next step of photographic technology.

“This year, Matterport is going to try and continue to make available and popularize the 3D showcase format within the real estate industry,” said Jeffrey Harris, Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Matterport. “We think it is a game-changing medium and is really the next evolution of media. If you go way back, you know the first big media shift was black-and-white photography over 150 years ago. The next big advance was color photography, and then there was film, and then video and digital video. Now, we think 3D media is the next medium to become very popular and transformative in the real estate industry.”

Of course, Matterport’s ability to offer highly detailed views of homes might raise some concerns about privacy, but the company has anticipated this.

“From a privacy perspective, if you have a floor plan with photos attached to them, I think you’re largely going to have the same issues with a Matterport showcase that you would with photography,” said Harris. “You’re still going to see what you’re going to see. We do expect, later this year, to be releasing the ability to blur some things, such as family photos and valuable artwork. All of those things will be able to be blurred out, so as to address some of those privacy concerns. For today, however, if there’s something you don’t want in a photo, don’t leave it out where it can be photographed.”

Given how important modern technology is to the real estate industry, realtors will desire to be with an agency that embraces it, and Matterport isn’t going to be any exception.

“I know I hear from our broker customers that they are looking to attract and retain agents, and they often use technology to do that,” said Harris. “So, I can envision a world where agents would want to gravitate towards brokers that support new technologies that help them better market active listings and attract sellers as well.”

The future for Matterport in real estate is certainly a promising one, and it has a wealth of services to provide for both realtors and their clients.

“With everything Matterport has to offer, we can’t wait to get this technology in the hands of our homebuyers,” said Rand.

To learn more about Rand Realty, visit their website and Facebook page, and make sure to “Like” their page. You can also follow them on Twitter.