Sotheby’s International Realty First To Launch Virtual Staging Augmented Reality App, Curate

 

Have you ever struggled to visualize furniture in a newly purchased property? What about finding the perfect décor to suit your vacation home? Well thanks to one international real estate brand, those days are over. Enter Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty. A revolutionary augmented reality (AR) app that allows consumers to visualize a house as their own before purchase, thereby curating the entire home buying experience.

The Sotheby’s International Realty® brand is the first real estate brand to launch and implement a virtual staging AR app, transforming the home buying and selling experience for both sales associates and consumers. This comes on the heels of reports that AR and Virtual Reality (VR) spend is projected to reach $27 billion in 2018, according to International Data Corporation, a company that projects worldwide spending.

“The launch of Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty has generated excitement throughout our global network and we are proud to see our sales associates adopting this technology and using it as we intended,” said John Passerini, global vice president of interactive marketing, Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. “There are nearly one billion active iOS devices worldwide. Making the app available on this platform was a high-priority for us, increasing the reach we have to our core audience. We look forward to continuing enhancements on Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty to better empower our sales associates and potential homebuyers.”

Here’s how it works:

Once a new home is purchased, Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty can be used to help a new homeowner, through augmented reality, design and purchase furnishings for their new home. They can visualize a home as their own by taking virtually staged images from a flat, 2-D screen into the house itself through the power of AR.

What Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty agents are saying:

“I am STOKED about this app! This app revolutionizes the buying experience by allowing users to picture their preferred style of furniture and decor, from traditional to modern, in any room of a home that they are considering purchasing,” said Catherine Blevens. “As a Realtor, I show numerous homes that are recently remodeled, newly constructed or even incomplete. Being able to show my clients what a room could look like staged with their favorite style of furniture is a game changer. This app turns an empty house into a home right before their eyes. It adds a level of personalization that you just can’t get without it. I am proud to be affiliated with a company that is so technologically advanced and driven, being the first real estate company to launch and implement a virtual staging AR app.”

“This is a powerful tool,” said Katye Sloan. “My recent listing in State Thomas is a true live/work property – large multi-purpose rooms and all the right features for a small business or a residence plus offices. The SIR Curate App is a great way to virtually furnish the spaces for whatever purpose a prospect envisions. I can create a bedroom or a boardroom while standing in the property.”

Kim Bedwell said, “This technology is a game changer for buyers. Many times, buyers can’t see their décor style in a home. They lack the ability to visualize it! The Curate app will allow them to place furniture in various styles in rooms while they are searching for that perfect house!” 

“I love that Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty allows my clients to visualize a house as their own before they purchase by virtual staging. My clients can virtually stage the home to see what their furniture would look like in the actual house. The app is transforming the buying and selling experience for agents and clients,” said Ashli Clements.

Irene Mochulsky adds, “Love that my company is always on the leading edge of technology. I am excited about the new Curate app which will help especially with my buyers. The app breaks down visual barriers and allows my clients to transform an empty room to their own taste. There are plenty of options and possibilities to choose from.”

Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty is powered by roOomy, the leading virtual staging technology platform specializing in 3D modeling and rendering, AR, and VR content creation and application development. It was originally built with ARCore – Google’s AR Software platform – and was launched in the Google Play Store earlier this year.

Aside from expanding to iOS, the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand has partnered with Viyet – a luxury furniture and accessories marketplace – to launch shoppable AR scenes within the app. The partnership with Viyet, a subsidiary of the Sotheby’s auction house, demonstrates the continued collaboration between the real estate brand and the auction house. Together, their relationship will be ongoing, providing new, custom-created scenes added regularly to reflect the marketplace’s current inventory.

Curate by Sotheby’s International Realty is now available on Apple iOS-enabled devices, iPhone and iPad. To learn more about the app, click here.

The Sotheby’s International Realty network currently has nearly 22,000 affiliated independent sales associates located in 950 offices in 70 countries and territories worldwide. Sotheby’s International Realty listings are marketed on the sothebysrealty.com global website. In addition to the referral opportunities and widened exposure generated from this source, each brokerage firm and its clients benefit from an association with the Sotheby’s auction house and worldwide Sotheby’s International Realty marketing programs.