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Zillow is betting that Apple is pioneering the next platform for proptech by introducing Immerse, its fully realized virtual reality home tour solution.
The home tour application is available now in Apple’s app store for use with the Apple Vision Pro headset, according to a Jan. 31 press release sent to Inman, which flagged the application as “jaw-dropping.” In addition to the experience of stepping through an available listing, users can also navigate using Zillow’s interactive floor plan, which will help users unfamiliar with VR experiences better understand their physical place within the subject property.
Apple’s Vision Pro was released today, Feb. 2, in the United States.
Zillow Immerse is the latest in a series of software releases from the home search leader as it moves toward an agent services model, collectively referred to as its “super app.” The company is now offering advanced listing marketing, nationwide photography services, showing management, 3D tour creation and even a CRM, after the Nov. 23 acquisition of Follow Up Boss.
Josh Weisberg is senior vice president of artificial intelligence at Zillow and said in a statement that this release overlaps clearly with his team’s goal of helping “more people get home with speed, confidence and ease.”
“Apple Vision Pro enables Zillow shoppers to fully experience homes as we envisioned when we first introduced Listing Showcase,” he said. “This advanced spatial technology allows users to explore homes in a way that is the next best thing to being there in person.”
A Feb. 1 press release from Apple states that more than 600 apps have been built for its headset platform.
Zillow will automatically make all Listing Showcase properties eligible for viewing within Immerse. Listing Showcase is Zillow’s elevated marketing offering that features highlighted map icons linking directly to stand-alone property websites with motion-graphic hero images, prominent listing agent information, categorized room imagery, interactive floor plans and a home tour scheduling widget. The service is limited to select agents in each market.
Zillow said users will be able to “stroll” hallways, examine ceilings and peer into closets. The experience will grow even more life-like if ever paired with Disney’s new holotile floor, a type of treadmill carpet that allows a person to walk without moving, change direction and further simulate the experience of traveling through virtual environments.
“Zillow Immerse aligns with the preferences of home shoppers. According to Zillow’s latest Consumer Housing Trends Report, 74 percent of prospective buyers agree that 3D tours help them to get a better feel for a home’s space than static photos, and 70 percent wish that more listings had 3D tours available,” the release stated.
Matterport and iGuide are long-established providers of 3D tour content as well, with the latter’s use of location-specific floor plan indication being early to market. Matterport has scanned over 30 billion square feet of property, according to company statistics, and uses AI and LIDAR to automate room measurements and create floor plans. It partners with Meta’s Quest headset for digital twin tours.
