Google Glass And Real Estate
As a tech enthusiast, I explore the latest technology and gadgets and evaluate ways to enhance the service to our customers. Google Glass was my latest project and while I think the device is evolutionary (and pretty entertaining) ultimately it's got a long way to go before it becomes part of my every day life in real estate.
What Does Google Glass do?
The most obvious use for someone in my profession is to use Google Glass to provide a live showing of a property with a busy or out-of-state client which is what I did.
This required a bit of set up. My client had to setup a Google or Gmail account, we had to +1 each other, and I had to add her as one of my coveted 10 "shared contacts" (currently, Glass only allows you to specify up to 10 people who are accessible from the device - the next Google Glass generation may revise this). Google Glass currently doesn't let you join a Hangout, only initiate one. I did a practice run, a Google Glass demo if you will, to ensure everything worked for her and off we went to look at homes for sale, like a quirky Google Glass commercial.
During the showing it was nice to be "hands free" to open doors and keep the camera pointed in the right direction, this is especially true for luxury homes and properties with interesting architecture. But the live video feed was blurred at times for my client so I had to stop and wait for the streaming feed to adjust. She was able to provide feedback in real time, asking me to go back to certain rooms and take a closer look at certain elements which was helpful.
Overall it wasn't as seamless as I would need it be (mostly due to the setup), so I'll stick to Apple's FaceTime for live videos to show properties when clients cannot be there in person. However for pre-recorded videos, Glass is a great tool and creates a nice, realistic walkthrough of a home.
I look forward to the next iteration of Google Glass and will continue to provide the latest technology to my clients. If you have any questions (South Bay real estate or Google Glass-related) please feel free to reach out to me ([email protected]).
Google Glass Real Estate Walkthrough
Here is an excerpt from the walkthrough that I did when Google Glass was offline and not streaming live. Pretty nice, huh? Just possibly need some better connectivity or throughput.
What I Liked...
- Comfortable: the fit is actually quite comfortable and it's easy to wear for several hours
- Intuitive: the user interface is easy to navigate and you get the hang of it very quickly
- Accurate: the voice commands and dictation are good as long as you are in a somewhat quiet environment
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Quality Photos/Video/Audio: the photos and recorded video are very high quality and the audio is pretty clear
What Needs To Be Improved...
- Google Hangouts: multi-step setup and poor video quality during the hangout
- Battery: Hangouts and using the device for phone calls seems to drain the battery and the device actually gets warm
- iPhone: The Google smart glasses don't work with iOS devices (yet)
Discussion
Also Greg check out tango.. it is a free app that you can connect with video..
Ive been dying to do the same thing!
Great job Greg. You are spot on and your focus on the customer puts you far ahead of your peers.
I can see using this if the client happens to be out of town. Sometimes the spouse is away and the other person has to make a decision. Cool.
You are always on the cutting edge of technology!
Really interesting post, I love the potential of these glasses for us in the real estate industry!
Wow Greg this is awesome. I have done this several times with my iphone - doing a video walkthrough and then emailing it - but this takes it a step further as it is live..although I guess I could do a facetime. Thanks for the great info.
I'm impressed with the quality even though it's in its beta stages. I'll be back for more cutting edge updates! Thanks Greg, Paul
Great job Greg. Thanks for the info. I like it.
Great! Good job testing and helping preview uses and factibility. Hope this technologies are soon ready to test and implement in such activities as ours (realtors)! Well done!
Wow this is great! Now I want Google Glass.
This is such a neat little invention! I haven't seen it before but I can definitely see the application in real estate.
I see a lot of advantages to using Google Glass as a realtor. From taking pics to videos or even using it to give live tours to clients that are not close enough to come to the property. I am excited about using these once I get a pair.
That's pretty cool! What definition did the video end up being?
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