FLOORPLANS
to have increased demand for floorplans.” Agents can use Mobile Agent in a Pocket
PC version with a Bluetooth laser measuring facility to draw the plans on-site during their first visit, something that certainly impresses vendors. The desktop version can then be used to edit, or add refinements. Agents don’t have to start from scratch
drawing a plan; templating and drag and drop technology means all they have to do is select the components to use. “Most rooms have four walls,” says Brian Farrell, “so that’s an easy way to start, of course if it does have six, it’s easy to change the template.” Even better, Metropix provides a couple of million property plans on its database, which are searchable by postcode, so if an agent is selling a terrace at number 27 and the plan for 25 is already available, it can be pulled down and edited to fit. Integration with the major portals is also
easy for users of both major packages. James Davis says, “We allow the likes of Vebra Live / Encore Live, DezRez and so on to pull our properties in automatically, or add floorplans as a simple attachment.”
consumer AccePtAnce So far, so good. The agents seem to like them and are delighted that they are now easier to create, but what of the property buyer? Are they important to them? The Times printed an article earlier this
year on ‘deciphering the bewildering floorplans provided by estate agents’ which started positively but became negative about the quality of the floorplans. “The gradual acceptance of 3D floor plans by agents will provide even greater support to the property buyer, because the 3D representation of the property, drawn accurately with scaled fixtures and fittings, gives a clear perspective of the property before even viewing”, says Jonathan Watkins of Rescom Media, which supplies 35,000 3D plans every year in Sweden, where agents say that the plans reduce the number of property viewings by 20 per cent. Jonathan agrees that there is still some resistance in the UK, probably due to misrepresentation issues and price, however, business is rapidly growing. Marc Blomfield Managing Director of
The National EPC Company also says floorplan business is booming. “We’ve had a much higher interest and level of instructions over the past few months, and many agents have added a floor plan to their EPC requests.”
‘The gradual acceptance of 3D plans by agents will provide even
greater support to the buyer because they give a clear perspective of the property even before viewing.’ jonAthAn wAtkIns rescom medIA
essentIAl for ePcs Marc uses Metropix software to create its plans, he says “The software is not as comprehensive as CAD by any means, but it’s easy to use, and just as important, easy to make changes.” It also produces multiple outputs. While
ten years ago the demand was almost exclusively for 2D black and white floorplans to be produced in printed format, now floorplans are widely disseminated over the internet. James Davis says, though, that the same software will create all the relevant files from the single plan. “The only difference in floorplans for print over web is the quality needed. We offer a really wide range of low and high resolution outputs, PDFs and so on to try to meet every company’s needs. However we still come across blurry or low quality plans on the web. They should always look crystal clear, if they don’t then speak to us or your website provider to find out why!” Both Mobile Agent and Metropix are available on a subscription basis, with
Metropix at £37.50 a month or £54.95 for the premium package and The Mobile Agent basic package for £24.99 a month. That’s not an onerous cost. However,
Apple-friendly agents with strictly limited budgets might be interested in an iPhone app, Home3D by Black Mana Studios, which is available for iPhone at USD 6.99 and iPad at USD 8.99 one-off fee. It’s not the most elegant design, and the plans can be blurry if increased in size, but it works well and is easy to use according to the team at property sector web designer Resource Techniques which tried it out.
In house or outsourced? With the software available for pretty much the price of a couple of floor plans a month, you might think that it’s a no-brainer to simply buy the software, as many agents are doing. However, some agents are simply tech-
averse, so thankfully there are a number of companies that offer outsourced floorplan design. Usketch offers a 2D black and white plan at £12 and colour at £14, with a 24 hour turnaround; The EPC Company charges an additional £12 for a floorplan to accompany its £49 EPC service. That seems to be the regular rate, though MyPropertyForSale is charging £129 (that’s for individuals selling their own houses, though, so it is not strictly comparable). As with all services, there are various
levels to meet differing demands. Another provider of bespoke floorplans is a relative newcomer to this market; Dowling Jones Design offers an exclusive range of services that include floorplans. “Floorplans are an
PROPERTYdrum SEPTEMBER 2010 31
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