Step inside dream homes with Myhome.ie’s 360-degree viewings

Let’s face it, most people are time poor these days. But when it comes to buying a new home, potential homeowners should avoid scrimping on the amount of time, thought and consideration they put into deciding on the right property.

KBC Bank Ireland and MyHome.ie have now launched a virtual viewing service on mobile devices that will allow potential buyers to view houses from the comfort of their own couch, before actually making the decision to physically see the property.

The pilot scheme will allow buyers to take a 360-degree tour of a number of homes currently on the market.

From today, houses can be viewed online through KBC’s YouTube channel and the MyHome.ie mobile site.

A mix of properties, from starter homes to large family homes, will be featured until the properties are sold.

This is the first time a bank will give prospective buyers in the Irish property market the chance to “view” a house up close from their personal device.

Caroline Donnellan, Head of Marketing Communications, KBC Bank Ireland, said: "This initiative is perfect for house hunters who want the convenience of viewing a house on the market before they see it and especially those who can't attend a viewing because of work or family commitments. Now house hunters can take a virtual tour of a house that's on the market while they are at home or commuting to work. If you are viewing a house on your mobile phone, laptop or desktop, you will be able to see each room in 360 degrees."

Angela Keegan from MyHome.ie said this will bring an added focus to properties on open view the following weekend.

"The virtual viewings will be given  top location in the 'Open Viewings' section of MyHome.ie and will allow users to click through to get a 360 degree view of each room in the selected property.

“KBC has teamed up with estate agents DNG to determine what properties are featured each week and they will also be promoted through our various social media channels.”

Speaking of what they hope to achieve with this partnership, Donnellan said: “We wanted to come up with a really innovative way of helping to make the whole house-buying process that little bit easier for people. We know from talking to customers, especially first-time buyers, that buying a home takes a lot of leg work ‑ in every sense. People spend a lot of time online, especially mobile, looking at potential properties and areas before they even decide to go to a viewing, and this is an ideal way for KBC to help with the search from the very start.

Mobile is key for KBC and our customers, so the partnership makes absolute sense. It’s great to trial a new project like this with another digital brand like myhome.ie. It helps house hunters understand KBC as a bank that’s competitive for mortgages, especially as we have some of the lowest rates in the market right now, and as a bank that likes to do things a little differently, particularly when it comes to digital.”

There are many benefits of this service to the customer, but also to the seller. Donnellan says. “Everyone is more time pressed these days, and it can be difficult to leave work early during the week or spend Saturday mornings viewing properties when people lead busy lives and have other work and family commitments. The real benefit is that buyers get a much better feel for the property before deciding if it’s worth pursuing further, and they can do this at the touch of a screen, any time and place that suits.

“With 360-degree video the buyer can view an entire room, ceiling and floor and get a real sense of proportion and space that is not always possible with traditional photography. For the seller, it’s a great way to showcase a property to potential buyers who increasingly think mobile and online first.”

Many bigger brands are using virtual right now, but Donnellan say they do not want to be at the forefront of digital, just for the sake of it. “At KBC we think about digital with a purpose – can it help our customers, does it make things easier, will it make a difference? Online is part of everyday life. It’s where our customers spend their time, and it’s where they expect brands and service providers to be, whether they are a bank or an estate agent, an interior designer or furniture store.

“We see this partnership as a way to bring the latest technology to a wider audience in a meaningful way – one that helps our customers with their research, makes it easier for them to decide on properties to view and is capable of making a difference to their experience of finding a new home. We always try to approach things differently and this is just another example of that.”

KBC research has shown that almost a third of all mortgage holders do not know how much they could save over the term of a mortgage if they changed provider, with 65 per cent of mortgage holders stating that lower monthly mortgage repayments would be the most likely factor to make them switch to another provider.

KBC Banks remains one of the most competitive in the market for new customers, as well as switchers who are looking for value and savings over the lifetime value of their mortgage.

[ www.myhome.ie ]