Login
iscover
One Victorian company is using virtual reality to give buyers an unexpected new view.
Online real estate auctions are nothing new – in 2007, Australia’s first livestreamed auction took place in the Melbourne suburb of Cheltenham.
Now, 17 years later, the very same suburb is preparing to host an experimental new auction which will see the auctioneer spend the entire event wearing virtual reality (VR) goggles.
Melbourne-based tech company Webtron believes the upcoming event will be a “world real-estate auction first”.
“For the first time ever, we are making it possible to see, hear and interact through the eyes of an auctioneer during live real estate auctions,” said Webtron founder and director, Alex Hill.
“There is no turning back,” he said. “This cannot be unseen.”
The agent who will be donning the goggles is Greg Brydon, an auctioneer at Ray White Cheltenham and the Real Estate Institute of Victoria’s 2023 Auctioneer of the Year.
Only the auctioneer will be required to wear VR googles; all other participants can watch a live video of the auction from Brydon’s point of view via a laptop or smartphone.
He will be auctioning off a converted 100-year-old church in Elwood which has been listed with a guide price of $1.3 million.
While some buyers will attend in person, those who log on virtually will be able to lodge bids without needing to be physically present in Melbourne.
Webtron believes that the addition of the VR headset will benefit not only buyers, but vendors as well.
“In a high-pressure scenario, where the seller’s biggest asset is on the line, it is crucial for the auctioneer and vendor to be able to have real-time communication without breaking the momentum of the auction,” explained Hill.
“The sellers feel like they are in the thick of the action,” he said. “Never before has a seller had the ability to directly see what the auctioneer sees and communicate with them in real-time to provide instructions to put the home ‘on the market.’
“For the first time, vendors will have control of the auction. No more peeking behind curtains.
“This is a world-first that will allow all parties to feel completely immersed in the action and make real-time, split second decisions,” Hill concluded.
Newsletter
