Virtual reality headset lets potential buyers explore multiple properties

A cardboard VR headset — part viewfinder, part Oculus Rift — bringing virtual reality real estate to the masses.

For most people, house hunting is a long and arduous process. Prospective buyers spend a lot of time and money travelling back and forth between houses trying to determine which is their dream home. Now, CommonFloor Retina is a virtual reality device which could simplify the whole process — enabling buyers to view VR videos of multiple potential properties from the comfort of their living room.

CommonFloor Retina is a cardboard VR headset — part viewfinder, part Oculus Rift — which is bringing virtual reality real estate to the masses. To begin, users insert their smartphone into the device with the CommonFloor app running. Then they simply hold it up to their eyes and become immersed in the fisheye representations of prospective properties. The user controls the view with their head actions, enabling them to move around each of the rooms of the house, giving them a better understanding of space, layout and ambience than 2D renderings can.

The device is particularly useful for those looking to move abroad or considering purchasing properties that are yet to be built. It also saves developers the cost and expense of making model apartments. CommonFloor is not the only company utilizing virtual reality technology in a real estate context — both Studio216 and Red Propeller are offering VR experiences in connection with upcoming condo projects — but theirs is the first stand alone device, available direct to consumers and smaller property developers.

A CommonFloor Retina headset costs RP 999 — approximately USD 16. Consumers in India wishing to try out the technology can do so at temporary experience centers in Bangalore. Are there other uses for this inexpensive device?