Modern technology is allowing for more interactive experiences at presentation centres for prospective buyers, but making those various tools available to the consumer is not always the most convenient process for builders. The Molinaro Group, however, believes it has solved the puzzle with a new platform for its upcoming Illumina condo project in downtown Burlington.
Seven years in the making, Neezo Studios’ LiveSite interactive sales experience is being launched in conjunction with Illumina. The package includes supplying the usual project model and brochures, but steps it up when it comes to the tech side, with an in-house image- rendering farm, aerial photography and 3D interactive experiences.
In order for the marketing story to remain relevant throughout the year and so that purchasers could relate to the building during the time of year they were looking to purchase, Neezo incorporated visual effects to emulate all four seasons in the interactive application so homebuyers could see how the condo will look against Mother Nature’s varied canvas.
From a homebuyer standpoint, the offerings include dozens of condo floor plans, with the option to compare units side by side and to zoom in on a particular plan to read its measurements more easily. Users can filter units by inventory, floor, bedrooms, square footage, orientation, floor plans, building amenities and features/finishes. The software also provides the sales staff with back-end knowledge, real-time stats and reports of what has been sold and how much inventory is left to be sold. Users can also explore transit routes, as well as the distance to get to various local amenities.
“Our renderings sell the lifestyle, but it’s our 3D interactive technology that sells the product,” says Neezo Studios founder Marvin Maalouf, whose software benefits from his company’s video and visual effects division gaming engines.
Sam DiSanto, Chief Financial Officer at Molinaro Group, loves the one-stop shop aspect of the format. “It’s very convenient for us—as a marketing tool, as a tool for our sales staff, for consumers or clients coming in, the reality of seeing what a unit will really look like, the 3D imaging, seeing the different seasons and different times of day. It’s soup to nuts,” says DiSanto, who worked with Neezo on Molinaro’s Paradigm project.
And the reaction of those walking in off the street? “Everyone loves it,” DiSanto says. “It’s very easy to use. You have a model to look at and 2D brochures, but then you also get the 3D visualization. People become really engaged. It clarifies any questions they have, like, ‘What’s my view going to look like?’ ‘Where’s the road?’ ‘Where’s the front door?’ If you have an educated consumer who understands, it makes the sale process easier.”