In the current economic climate, where external factors such as interest rate rises and economic uncertainty have led to an increase in enquiries, property CGI has become an invaluable tool when selling off-plan. Boutique property marketing companies like Charles Roberts Studios create architectural visualisations, property CGI and brochures for high-end property developments, all of which help reduce the risk to the developer.
According to Charles Roberts, the Founder of Charles Roberts Studios, property CGI and virtual tours have become so sophisticated that they are hard to distinguish from the real thing, which helps clients sell off-plan and reduce risk. These clients include national housebuilders Bovis, CALA Homes and Persimmon, and companies developing bespoke projects, from a stately home transformed into contemporary apartments to a barn conversion in the Cotswolds or a luxury penthouse in Dubai.
In response to the pandemic, the team at Charles Roberts Studios has developed a brand-new product called CRS Reveal. CRS Reveal uses visually verified property CGI to create dynamic, interactive presentations of projects. The “before and after” images of the development are shown on a split screen with a slider that can be moved from side to side to reveal the changes that will take place.
Charles Roberts explains that CRS Reveal and property CGI is an invaluable new tool for architects, planning consultants, and property developers. It is used to communicate accurate visual planning challenges by creating exterior and bird’s eye views of how a site will look when completed, compared with how it looks now, reducing the need for face-to-face site visits. It helps support and win planning applications and generates interest in the development before it’s built.
The pandemic has also led to a change in people’s work-life patterns, with many expressing a desire to continue working from home at least for part of the week. Charles Roberts expects that developers will be looking at how they can provide space for this moving forward. He explains that they are already seeing the impact of changing work/life patterns on interior layouts, with prospective buyers more likely to want a home office space. Recently, Charles Roberts Studios created an interior property CGI design for a Kitchen Family Room with an alcove for a child’s home-schooling station.
In conclusion, property CGI has become an indispensable tool for selling off-plan in the current economic climate. It helps reduce risk for developers, generate interest in a development before it is built, and support and win planning applications. With the pandemic leading to a change in work-life patterns, developers will have to adapt to the changing needs of prospective buyers, and property CGI will undoubtedly continue to play a significant role in this.