Virtual reality and 3D camera changing real estate- Local photographer adopts new technology

When purchasing a home it’s important to make sure it’s just right.

But when buying in a new city it can be difficult to travel to view homes. In a village like Sun Peaks, where many homes are used for rentals, it can be especially challenging to find times when potential buyers can visit.

That’s where the Matterport camera system and local photographer Dom Koric come in. A real estate photographer in Sun Peaks and the surrounding area for six years, Koric’s days are now packed full with photography and using the Matterport to create 3-D tours.

“I’ve been doing it all over,” he said. “Even as far away as Vancouver and Calgary. I got it in December (2016) and I’m really happy I did, there has been tons of interest.”

The technology is now used by many realtors in the region to show interested parties what a home is really like before, or even instead of, a tour.

The system uses several cameras to scan the space. Then the operator moves it to another area a few metres away and scans again until the entire property has been captured. The program takes a few hours (depending on the number of images scanned) and stitches the panoramas together to make an immersive 3-D tour of the home.

Koric quickly mastered the technology, moving past kinks like scanning stairs, to make many tours hosted online.

He has worked with builders to map a home under construction before drywall is installed so owners can see the exact location of things like wiring and plumbing. Koric said he has also considered giving Sun Peaks Fire Rescue access to the completed models, so they can use them when entering fires or other emergency situations.

But most of his business is with realtors like Liz Forster at Sotheby’s Sun Peaks, who uses the models to show clients what a home is like without them having to visit.

Forster said it has given the office a great way of giving potential buyers a better idea of a space than what can be seen in photos or videos.

Her team has made all of their websites compatible with the software and their office now has virtual reality goggles to give a completely immersive experience.

“Ideally we will have all of the homes mapped out,” she said. “In the future we can utilize other features like tagging areas or features of the home.”