When it comes to looking for a new home, one of the most exciting things about the process is walking through a place that you’ve seen in photos only. You get a better idea of the scale of the rooms, how the corridors relate to the rooms and each other, how the light comes in through the kitchen window and, well, just how the space works.
You also get the feel of the place. Is it light and airy or oppressive and dark? Can you imagine yourself and your belongings there? How does it feel when you walk out of the back door?
A photo can say a thousand words…
…but being there says much more. When you’re physically in a place, you feel emotions and a connection to it. It might not be a strong connection or even a particularly pleasant one if you don’t like the property, but those emotions are evoked. This is because you’re in the building; you’re immersed in it.
Blurring the boundaries
There are very few people in the world who have never seen a photograph. We learn early on in life how to look at a drawing, a painting or a photo and how to interpret it. We learn to translate the 2D image into 3D, while maintaining a strict barrier between the two. A 2D image is just that – two-dimensional – whereas if something’s in 3D, it’s probably real, or at least tangible. A 2D image is second best when it comes to viewing a property – we feel at something of a remove, despite our imagination.
If we’re able to move around in a 3D virtual tour of a place, though, we’re breaking down that barrier. Our brains can almost be fooled into believing that we’re physically in the building. Being able to turn around on the spot, as well as to change direction, look closer at the mantelpiece and even look round corners makes us feel we’re there. We’re immersed in the property and this makes us feel so much more than a plain old photo ever could.
