It would be impolite, but perhaps not inaccurate, to say that homebuilders are among the last to embrace marketing methods that utilize new technologies. And it would be safe to say that virtual model home tour technology has been available for a while. Let's just say that production homebuilders may be a bit slow on the uptake in this arena in general, but once they decide to promote something new, they tend to do so with a vengeance.

Kaufman and Broad, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, announced this week a program to provide 360-degree virtual tours of each of approximately 750 model homes to potential buyers through their KBHOMES.COM web site, using the services of iPIX (Internet Picture Corporation). In an aggressive campaign to showcase their homes in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas, K & B will bring the showroom to the consumer by way of the Web, making it the first major production homebuilder to market new homes using this high-tech marketing tool on such a large scale. K & B 's logic is that by giving homebuyers access to their model homes through virtual tours, they can save those buyers both time and initial travel expenses spent looking for new homes.

"Many of our home buyers are dual-income, working families with young children who don't have a lot of time for house hunting, says Glen Barnard, president of KB Inc. "It's extremely helpful for them to tuck the kids into bed at night and start house-hunting on the Web."

After a test-marketing period earlier this year in the San Diego and Bay Area, the company decided to expand the idea as a resource to a much larger audience. "Many of Kaufman and Broad's homebuyers are going through the process for the first time and will rely on advice from friends and relatives," explains Barnard. "Homebuyers want to 'show' their new home to out-of-town parents and friends to get a second opinion. This is particularly important of parents are offering financial assistance or co-signing a loan."

Working closely with the staff at iPIX, Kaufman and Broad executives developed a plan to bring virtual tours to their Web site. The effort to acquaint potential buyers with their homes extends not only to photographs, pricing and floor plans of the homes themselves, however. Elements and amenities offered by the master-planned communities or neighborhood may also be included in the tour, giving out-of-state relocating homebuyers the opportunity to look at both homes and lifestyles. In addition, K & B's New Home Showroom will be part of the tour, showing buyers some of the thousands of options available to them for enhancing their new homes. During a virtual tour of the showroom, consumers will view everything from kitchen cabinets and countertops selections to flooring, window treatments and security systems, according to K & B sources.

"We've found that homebuyers are thrilled with the ability to 'walk around' a model home, visualize the decorating possibilities as they 'stroll through' the New Home Showroom and 'experience' the house that someday will become their new home," says Barnard. Using this technology, buyers can navigate through the home in any direction, as if using their own virtual video camera to do so. They can even step outside to see the home's exterior, both front and back.

Will virtual home tours replace the traditional physical model home tour? Most experts agree that, although the use of virtual tours can be an enhancement and time saver in the overall process, most buyers will visit the home site before buying, having narrowed down their choices by utilizing the cyber-technology. Being able to send these tours to vital family members and advisors may also help buyers in the decision-making process without having to take the extended family along on the home buying trip itself.

Kaufman and Broad claims that its Web site received visits from more than 26,000 people last month alone, illustrating a solid reason for far-reaching and timely marketing decisions such as this to be made by a major production homebuilder.

Published: March 31, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

A veteran of the real estate and homebuilding industries since 1986, Dena Kouremetis first joined Realty Times as a new homes writer in 1998. Since then, she has authored four books, written consumer columns on new homes issues for websites and newspapers all across the country, contributed to builder trade magazines, appeared as a guest expert on several radio shows and even created a ten-chapter podcast for LendingTree.com’s homebuilder website, iNest.com, now available on iTunes, entitled Uncharted Waters; Navigating the Purchase of a New Production Home. Kouremetis recently joined her local Folsom, CA Coldwell Banker office as a broker associate while continuing to write for the real estate industry. For the past three years, she has been training real estate agents for both the resale and new homes industries, putting her experience, research expertise and gift of expression to work to help others entering the business.