London Square Takes Us On A Virtual Viewing
The new homes industry has reacted very quickly to the coronavirus crisis and some housebuilders are using new technology to give serious house-hunters the opportunity to search for a brand new home without leaving their front door. One of them is London Square.
This multi-award-winning developer is currently building several major developments in London and the Home Counties and has given me the opportunity to take a close look at the one in Staines-upon-Thames, located on the High Street and just minutes from the station and river. They have just launched an interactive ‘virtual viewing’ system which allows the sales team and buyers to tour a development and individual properties from their living room.
There’s a key difference to seeing a recorded tour on their website or on YouTube/Vimeo is that it is a ‘live’ experience where everyone is connected by phone or video to ask and answer questions as if they were face-to-face.
Project sales manager Dario Scimeca sends me a link by email and calls me over WhatsApp to start the viewing. Potential buyers will have already been sent things like a brochure and specification details so they are fully armed with information beforehand.
Show home at London Square Staines Upon Thames via the 'virtual viewing'
A simple login code brings us to the lobby of the block in which the show home is located and in one click, we’re at the front door of the fully furnished apartment. Once inside, there are multiple ‘eye’ symbols to click on, which change the viewing point. At each one, there’s a full 360° view and you can also look up and down too, to see things like flooring and MVHR – mechanical ventilation with heat recovery – a built-in fresh air system which, like underfloor heating, is part of a high standard specification here.
We start in the kitchen/living room and then go ‘through’ the wide floor-to-ceiling glazing to the private balcony with its view over the landscaped courtyard in the centre of the four ‘core’ blocks of apartments. We head back in and look at the two bedrooms and bathroom. In each room, Dario points out the details of design and specification, and answers questions I have about things like fittings and decoration options. We talk about things such as the Help to Buy scheme, and the availability of allocated underground parking.
At any point, there’s a ‘floorplan’ button that can be clicked to bring up the traditional picture of how the property is laid out. There are also photos available of the external view of the development itself.
On the other side of the screen is a ‘3D’ button – this isn’t active yet but will be soon, to give visitors a chance to don a headset at get an even more realistic view of each room. There may also be a chance to explore the surrounding area – London Square can ask their experts to photograph whatever part of the development and local area they want.
For now, we are able to continue the tour by looking at the residents’ gym, the courtyard and roof terraces, as well as the area which hosts the 24-hour concierge for the development. Dario has also had photos taken of other furnished and unfurnished units, which can be very useful for house-hunters looking for a particular type of available home (with a certain number of bedrooms for example, or on a high/low floor).
Our 45 minutes ‘on tour’ is so useful – Dario tells me so much, listens to my questions and points of view, and has provided thorough responses to all of them. He clearly lives and breathes this development!
Right now, about 75% of London Square Staines Upon Thames is sold, but there are a range of two-bedroom apartments available over Cores C and D, priced from £434,950 to £474,950. Call on 01784 819172. Ask about the government-backed Help to Buy shared equity scheme.
Take a CGI tour of London Square Staines Upon Thames:
London Square is hosting a webinar about mortgages during the COVID-19 crisis on Wednesday 8 April from 6.30pm to 7.00pm.