The first time that I came across a 360º camera real estate marketing application was about a year ago when real estate agent Nick Giambra told me about Three Sixty Views. It was the first time that I was able to see the future of real estate marketing. Not only was there a virtual tour of the inside of a house, there was also drone footage that captured the surrounding neighborhood. Together, they video application presented an awesome visual that told the story in a way that was previously impossible. While this technology is being readily used in other cities, it is still fairly new to Buffalo. Take a look.
By capturing vivid views of various neighborhoods, the sales pitch is no longer just the house, it’s the entire city. After all, people are not just interested in the home, they also want to get familiar with the surroundings. More often than not, the city is the major selling point, for people who are thinking about relocating. Once someone is sold on the city…
… it’s time to sell them a house. Or even a new roof. That’s where Tony Thomas (lead photo – left) and Jordan Scinta come in to focus. Although Tony and Jordan are still in school at University at Buffalo, they have started their own marketing company, which is based on the 3D and drone visual experience. “Everyone loves to watch videos,” they told me. “Currently, we are shooting marketing videos for real estate agents, home builders, developers, construction companies, and engineering firms. We recently shot a great video for a roofing company, that shows many of the details that you typically don’t get a chance to see up close.”
Take this roofing job for example:
It’s fascinating to be able to view the process. All of this new technology is allowing us to go places that we have never been able to easily access. Since starting their business in January, Tony and Jordan have been busy testing out the latest and greatest technologies, while learning aviation laws, which can be quite complex, according to Jordan. “Because we are using the drone for commercial purposes, I needed to get certified by the FAA – it’s a 60 hour course, and is actually more complicated than a real estate license,” he told me. “But this is the direction that other cities are going, so we knew that we needed to add the drone to our marketing offerings.”
Tony agreed, by saying, “As far as I am aware, we are the only ones in Buffalo that own a Matterport – a 3D camera used to scan 4K virtual tours. We’ve been investing in top of the line equipment, so that we can continue to deliver the best results for our clients. We are building this business as fast as we can, so that when we graduate in the next couple of years, we will have a solid company that is ready to hire and grow. We have a passion for real estate, photography, videography, 3D filming equipment and drone technology. We’re not limiting ourselves to the real estate game, it’s just that that is where we have been concentrating our efforts. The applications for all of this is limitless.”
See examples of 360º 4K viewing tours
Drone technology started as a passion play for a lot of enthusiasts. Now, we are starting to see the jump from static images to smooth video featurettes, thanks to the vision of a couple of young dedicated entrepreneurs who are excited to shake up an industry that has been fairly static for a long time.
Also, take a look at 57 Virginia Place (visit the house using “the dollhouse feature”).
If Tony and Jordan continue to head down this marketing road at the speed that they are traveling, I have a feeling that we’re going to see a lot more virtual and aerial advancements coming our way in the not too distant future.