Virtual viewings service for estate agents raises another £3.3 million
Giraffe360 launched in the UK in January 2019 but says it is now ready to roll out its service to larger estate agencies in the UK and Europe.
A property photo system that enables estate agents to take professional images of properties without using a photographer has raised £3.3 million from four venture capital firms.
Giraffe launched in the UK during January 2019 after securing £950,000 from venture capital firm Change Ventures, which has now been joined by three others VD outfits to raise the new cash.
Giraffe is a subscription service that allows agents to access high-tech one-button operation high quality camera tech without having to invest thousands in their own kit.
It also enables both floor plans, photographs and virtual tours to all be generated automatically within 24 hours of a site visit.
Although based in London and with many agency customers, its business is now European as many property companies and their clients across the continent embrace virtual viewings during the pandemic.
“Subscriptions grew 800% in 2019 and will be even higher in 2020,” said Mikus Opelts (pictured), founder and CEO of Giraffe360.
“More than ever this year, our clients and prospective buyers and tenants have started to see virtual viewings as the default way to look at a property.
“Agents are selling and renting a property in this period with virtual viewings, all using Giraffe360’s product which lets the buyer or renter be inside the virtual home, alongside the agent’s representative.”
The new funds, Opelts tells The Negotiator, will be used to grow capacity as demand for its service grows.
“Even though we have been growing well over the last 18 months, so far our service has been available in a limited way and thus one of the uses of the funds will be to significantly grow our capacity to service bigger clientele.”
VR and increasingly AR is becoming the new lifeblood of agency, the pandemic has pushed through technologies that have been around for fifteen years or more. Adoption is a strange thing, like Zoom or other video conferencing solutions, often it can take one ‘overnight’ event like a pandemic to change forever the way we do things.
Having done thousands of property viewings, many to property clients who did not do the deal, the efficiency that virtual viewings is adding to the real estate mix should not be underrated, and the fact that due to its gamified nature, viewings can be carried out 24/7, in the comfort of the clients armchair, now that is customer service.
Property and technology getting married, who would have thought it would be such a success, but then we are in 2020.