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A Denver software company is making its slick interactive property mapping tech available to major property search portals.
Engrain is a data visualization software company and among other products, it develops SightMap, which empowers users to create and publish web-based, unit-by-unit and site plan maps of apartment properties and office spaces.
SightMaps display detailed information of rooms, buildings and outdoor spaces upon mouse roll-over or click. Information such as pricing, square footage and amenities can be presented in colorful, dynamic text boxes in conjunction with flat, 2D floorplans and architectural renderings.
Wednesday, the company announced that it has created a free version of it that when launched, will work within the parameters of major listing portals, which could lead Zillow and Realtor.com, for example, to offer dynamic property mapping to customers, especially to agents who advertise rentals on these platforms. Apartments.com is another example.
Until this release, SightMap has been used largely in the institutional, commercial multi-family space. It also works with senior living and retail center developers. The company did not share if it has agreements in place with any major portal.
In an exclusive press release sent to Inman, Brent Steiner, founder and CEO at Engrain, said that “The ability to provide interactive property maps is a simple, but extraordinarily effective digital tool for lead and lease velocity. By offering these upgrades, along with a free version of SightMap, we’re bringing this ability to more properties with more features and flexibility than ever before.”
Real estate professionals could leverage SightMap to assist in the marketing of new construction and urban high-rise condos and apartments, from information on individual houses within the greater community down to rooms within each house.
Information display use cases include room sizes, finish options, potential room use, cost-per-square-foot and links into 3D renderings.
The product also has search filters, photo overlays and stacking plan capabilities.
SightMap has potential for agents in the luxury listing market to help display homes with intricate layouts and unique rooms, and perhaps as a supplement to 3D tours or “dollhouse” views.
Engrain’s updated software could also inch agents toward the implementation of augmented reality (AR) or a semblance of it anyway. Augmented reality overlays valuable visual data in virtual environments.
According to the press release, rental prospects prefer to engage with a visual map view compared to lists or a floor plan view of prospective apartments. It’s safe to assume house and condo buyers would react similarly.
SightMap is also available as a tablet app for both major mobile operating systems. The product was launched in 2016.
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