Real estate tours have come a long way over the years. The industry started with in-person tours and open houses among realtors, agents, and buyers. 

This has changed tremendously with advances in technology. Today, real estate professionals and their clients often take advantage of the conveniences that 3D models and 3D virtual tours offer.

While impressive, it’s only the beginning. Slowly but surely, four-dimensional virtual reality or 4D VR experiences are adding new depth to these immersive encounters, using technology that we could only dream about a few decades earlier.

But what exactly is a 4D VR experience and what does it entail? More importantly, how can virtual tours benefit from it?

We answer these critical questions and more in this article.

What Is VR?

Virtual reality has taken the world by storm, especially in the world of gaming where it has allowed players to more fully immerse themselves in imaginative realms and worlds. 

As the name suggests, it is a reality created in the virtual or digital world. It includes computer-generated environments that contain objects and scenes that appear to be real. They can be so life-like that the user feels as though they are physically present in these virtual surroundings and are experiencing them firsthand.

This is achieved through a virtual reality headset or helmet and has ample potential beyond video games. It is increasingly being used in other industries, including real estate.

How Does 4D VR Work?

A 4D VR experience transforms the physical world into a virtual one by seamlessly integrating the two to create an immersive experience. This fusion of physical sensations and virtual reality offers an elevated experience that even 3D virtual reality cannot match.

For example, vibrations from haptic feedback can offer the sensation of riding a motorcycle. 4D VR can also make you feel like you’re flying or swimming.

From a real estate point of view, it can make you feel like you’re standing on top of a skyscraper or on a balcony in a beachfront villa.

4D VR elevates the 3D VR experience. With the latter, you can view a property in 3D to understand how certain layouts will look with furniture once the design is complete. However, 4D VR doesn’t just allow you to see what it would be like to be in a space but also lets you feel like you’re physically present in it — be it an apartment building, a log cabin in the woods, or a beach house.

It makes virtual property viewing more engaging and immersive than it’s ever been by engaging your other senses.

4D VR vs 3D VR

3D VR is already impressively immersive but a 4D VR experience takes it a step further. Let’s review what we’ve learned to have a clearer idea of their differences: 

• 3D VR tours show a 360-degree render of a particular property while 4D virtual tours show how it feels to be there.
• In a 3D tour, you can only see the property — it is a visual experience. But a 4D VR experience adds a sensory dynamic to 3D’s realistic visuals.

Though different, 3D and 4D technology are closely interrelated since 4D is built on the foundation of 3D virtual reality.

The Future of VR Tours: The 4D Metaverse

Clearly, the global virtual reality market is here to stay and growing exponentially. It’s predicted to be worth $296.9 billion by 2024, nearly ten times its $30.7 billion worth in 2021.

In addition, it’s anticipated to enjoy a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18% and will likely become an essential tool across industries, including education and real estate. In fact, property in the virtual world or metaverse has already started gaining value.

Even now, real estate agents can harness the power of 4D virtual reality to enhance the experiences of their clients. Prospects can get a more thorough understanding of the feel of a place. This can play a crucial role in convincing them to purchase or rent a particular property. But that’s not all.

The scope of 4D virtual reality is expected to surpass real estate marketing and will involve a more advanced universe: the metaverse.

What Is Metaverse Real Estate?

Metaverse real estate is similar to the real tangible/physical world in some ways.

Metaverse real estate refers to areas of land in the virtual world that are similar to the real world. However, instead of actual square feet, they’re made up of pixels.

Metaverse real estate is a programmable space that people can use to socialize, play games, sell NFTs or non-fungible tokens, attend concerts and meetings, and indulge in all kinds of activities.

With the growth of the metaverse, digital real estate is predicted to expand. In fact, the CAGR of the metaverse is projected to grow by 31.2% between 2022 and 2028.

Investors are quickly becoming interested in metaverse real estate as it offers a platform or space that users can use to connect with each other.

This digitized land can be used however the owner chooses — to monetize their property’s content with access passes and NFT trading or to socialize and play games.

Virtual property also offers a way for brands to advertise themselves, organize virtual product launches, and offer customers a unique experience.

Virtual real estate in the metaverse is, therefore, a lucrative opportunity and can be flipped, developed, or leased similar to real-life properties.

However, metaverse real estate has yet to become a mainstream phenomenon so the focus remains on real-world properties. But to blend the two worlds together, 4D virtual tours offer the perfect solution. While the metaverse is only just picking up, 4D virtual tours are increasingly making their mark as an essential part of the real estate industry’s future.

Are 4D VR Experiences in Real Estate Future-proof?

4D VR tours aren’t going anywhere because tangible, physical property in the real world isn’t going anywhere. This means that its various applications in real estate remain relevant:

• They allow architects and construction teams to communicate and supervise projects with ease and better success.
• 4D VR enables customers to more fully immerse themselves in real estate listings. This means better and increased sales while leveraging all the benefits of a 3D virtual tour.
• The technology lets clients enjoy visual and sensory experiences of the properties they’re viewing.

So, yes — since virtual tours have become such an important aspect of real estate, they are future-proof and will continue to gain ground.

Conclusion

While the metaverse may become a prominent aspect of real estate in the near future, there’s some way to go before it becomes generally accepted. 

In the meantime, marketing tools for physical real estate properties like virtual reality tours will be increasingly prevalent. 3D tours and upgraded 4D VR experiences are, therefore, smart marketing investments that can help you stand out and reach larger audiences from anywhere in the world.

As real estate firms prepare for the future, it’s important to partner with an expert architecture rendering firm. Plus Render can help you get ahead of the curve by providing you with stunning visuals and immersive environments that will help you close sales more easily.

Explore the Plus Render website to learn more.