Recently while reading Entrepreneur Magazine, I read an article on a specific Brewery in Colorado. There was also a photo of the Breweries Tasting Room. This sparked the thought, how can a Real Estate listing on a web site offer an experience not unlike a Tasting Room in a Brewery in more of a digital format.
In a sense, the idea of a Digital Tasting Room is already occurring, but in many different ways on multiple web sites. The bigger sites such as Trulia have added a mountain of information ranging fom neighborhoods to local statistical information.
Google has also added many excellent features to it’s mapping capabilities. It has recently added better aerial images and a capability to rotate the aerial image.
An article from the December 6, 2009 edition of the Chicago Tribune mentioned Laura Reedy Stukel, a Realtor who has put a lot of work into a blog and web site to feature a single house. Stukel also created a blog for the house that covers details such as kitchen features, energy efficient windows, and links to building product manufacturers. The energy efficiency and “Green” aspects of the house were also featured.
Maybe one day virtual walkthroughs will be common in a manner similar to Second Life. Open Houses, and Showings still cannot be duplicated in a digital environment, yet.