The challenge
By 2016, REALABS had proven that 3D scanning drove buyer engagement. The next question: could you build a full virtual reality property browsing experience — not just viewing a single tour, but searching, filtering, and walking through multiple properties entirely inside a VR headset?
The hardware was still early. Google had just announced Daydream, its mobile VR platform, and the consumer headsets hadn’t shipped yet. Building for a platform that didn’t exist in consumers’ hands meant betting that the technology curve would catch up to the product.
The approach
We partnered with Cogent, DiUS, Valve, and Zero Latency — assembling capabilities across VR development, spatial audio, real-time rendering, and enterprise integration. The goal was to ship a working VR property portal before the hardware reached mainstream consumers.
The technical challenge was multifaceted. Property data from REA Group’s listings had to flow into a 3D environment. Navigation had to feel natural with Daydream’s limited controller. Performance had to be acceptable on mobile hardware with tight thermal and battery constraints. And the experience had to be compelling enough that someone would choose VR over scrolling a website.
We built realestateVR as a native Daydream application — a searchable property portal where users could browse listings, filter by location and price, and step inside Matterport-scanned properties, all without removing the headset.
The results
- First VR property portal launched on Google Daydream — a world-first for the real estate industry
- Partnership with Google secured through demonstrating a compelling use case for their platform
- Proved the full property discovery flow could work inside VR, not just individual tour viewing
- Validated that spatial property browsing meaningfully changed how buyers evaluated homes
The project demonstrated something broader than VR in real estate: that you can ship products for platforms that haven’t reached consumers yet, if you move toward the technology curve rather than waiting for it. The partnerships with Google, Valve, and Zero Latency came from having a working prototype while others were still debating whether VR would matter.
The takeaway
Follow the fast water. In 2016, VR was the edge where capability and human need hadn’t met yet. The teams that built real products on immature platforms — rather than waiting for the market to mature — were the ones that shaped what those platforms became. The same principle applies to every technology wave: LLMs today, whatever comes next.
This project grew out of the Matterport at REA Group programme and was delivered through Technology Advisory. Today we apply the same “follow the fast water” approach to LLM adoption. Book a free call to explore what’s next for your team.