Zoopla Property Group has partnered with prop-tech company Vieweet to launch Smart Viewing, the world’s first remote-viewing platform.
Available from the Zoopla site, the new solution solves the age-old problem of property consumers not having enough time to view as many properties as they wish. It enables house hunters to view property remotely from the comfort of their own home.
Instead of having to get the vendor, landlord, agent and prospective buyer or tenant to each attend the property at the same time, Smart Viewing allows all interested parties to take part in an interactive viewing event via Zoopla, from anywhere in the world.
Carried out in real time, the viewings use live audio and 360-degree panoramic images, with the agent effectively hosting and controlling the Smart Viewing and responding to questions via live messaging and acting as the online guide.
The agent hosting the Smart Viewing can have multiple renters or buyers online at any one stage enabling them to increase their pool of possible offers with consumers booking slots directly with the agent via Zoopla.
Zoopla Product Officer Matt Cohan says Zoopla and Vieweet have been piloting the initiative for the past six weeks with a number of agents including Anderson Rose, Ludlow Thompson and Thomas Morris.
He says the two companies expect to make the offering available to all member agents in the coming weeks as part of their existing ZPG subscription.
“When we launch this it will be a world first,” Cohan enthuses.
“What really excites us about this service is that not only does it help our agent partners become more effective by conducting online viewings, it also showcases their expertise to a wider audience with the potential of winning more stock in a highly competitive market.”
Thomas Morris agent Simon Bradbury, who was the first agent in the world to use the Smart Viewing option on Zoopla confirms the functionality will make agents more efficient.
“We now don’t need to commute to every property for a viewing. We can give our customers another option to do the initial viewing online. If they like it they can then book a physical viewing.”
