When starting a new development project it seems like an important first step is to develop a good working relationship and open line of communication with the community at large in which you will be building.

I have noticed over the years that many community members don’t have the vision that perhaps a developer, architect and city planner may have, and at times struggle to visualize the end product when being presented with project blue prints and elevations that often times just don’t provide enough detail and perspective.

If the community stakeholders can’t visualize what it is that a developer is proposing, then there may be a chance that a “perception versus reality” issue in the minds of the community and the decision makers may arise.  If that begins spreading, then you in turn may have a credibility issue that could further muddle the water.

The thought I would offer, is that if a developer is attempting to gain support for a project through outreach meetings and encouraging community feedback and wants to earn credibility for what it is they wish to build, perhaps a more realistic set of presentation tools such as photo-realistic 3D graphics or an animation fly through video could go a long way to achieve that goal and gain credibility in the process.

Case in point; one of our clients recently submitted a low detail view simulation package during a planning commission meeting for their project (produced by a 3rd party) and was promptly asked to resubmit a more detailed and accurate 3D view impact simulation study, as the previous one was just not acceptable.

When they contacted us, we had a very short period of time to recreate several new views and provide an updated package to our client with complete detail, accuracy and photo-realism.  Sure enough, the city approved their plan and cited the fact that the studies were so much more realistic and accurate that they were now confident in making a decision to move forward with our clients plan.  We will share more of this project in a later blog.

Have you had similar experiences?  Please share them with us!

Congratulations to our clients Newman Garrison + Partners and Monarch Group for gaining community endorsement with a unanimous 26-0 vote from the East Side Project Advisory Committee in West Hollywood for their proposed urban infill mixed-use developments!

Newman Garrison + Partners engaged Focus 360 to create two Video Animations for the two urban infill mixed-use projects in West Hollywood; one located at Santa Monica and La Brea and the other at Fountain and La Brea, to help them convey the vision and lifestyle of these high profile developments.

The video animation include live action HD video footage montage with 3D animation to simulate driving by the projects, walking along sidewalk in front of the retail and nighttime views of the project.

“Your animations were key. Boards and a study models alone wouldn’t have done it.” says Kevin Newman, Principal at Newman Garrison + Partners.

This is yet another success story of how Focus 360 helped a client achieve an endorsement or approval for a planned development through the use of photo-realistic animations!

Why haven’t the “old school” new home sales offices died?  Did the people in charge not notice that the consumer from the 60’s is not the same as the consumer of today?

Back in the old days, it was easy to impress a visitor. Put some fancy renderings on the wall, create a mini version of the neighborhood on a tall coffee table and hand out a professional brochure.

But today’s consumer is savvy.  Very savvy!  They communicate with all their friends instantly on digital smart phones.  They plan their vacations online in minutes.  And their cars have communication tools built-in too!

This consumer knows how to communicate efficiently, and more importantly, expects to.  If this is true, why have so few builders taken advantage of new technology to communicate their neighborhood design and features with their visitors?  Are they afraid?  Is the new home sales office just not the place for technology?

Yes, most of them are now using the web to reach out, but what about the point of sale?  Are they missing something, or am I?

What do you think?

After returning from the Middle East a couple weeks ago, and again just a couple months before that, I had some time to reflect on my visit to Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and have some quick observations as it relates to the real estate market.

One, the market in the Middle East like ours here in the US has slowed quite a bit, but a few areas of activity do still exist.  The Doha area in Qatar is very active with new projects, with the flagship project called “The Pearl” already delivering residential units and building up their Marinas for slip delivery soon.

Two, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a number of large scale projects moving through the planning stage and due to start marketing very soon, in particular are the 4 major economic cities called King Abdullah Economic City, Knowledge Economic City, Jazan Economic City and Prince Abdul Aziz bin Mousaed Economic City       .

Three, the Abu Dhabi has a few active areas of development, one of them being Saadiyat Island and seemingly on a track to be a huge success with a number of active large scale residential and commercial developments in the planning and construction phase.

With the global economic recovery in mid stride, I look forward to following the progress on a global stage and will eagerly await the completion of many real estate projects still on the books for completion in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.  It will be interesting when I visit again in a few months to see how the recovery has affected new real estate development and construction and in particular the capital markets in the Middle East.

You read about this stuff all the time. Interactive sales tools for the sales office point of sale. Do they really work? Do they really build rapport between the buyer and seller? Do they really get prospects fully engaged with the sales staff? Do they really help buyers understand the different floor plans, floor plan options and home site location and availability?

As a builder, you invest a lot of time and money in the latest high tech gadgetry hoping that it will help your sales people connect with prospects and convert them to buyers, but how do you know if it’s really working?

Just ask a sales person or sales manager who has figured out how to integrate the technology into their sales presentation and they will tell you that it works and some!

Here is a direct quote from a Focus 360 client who is using our Interactive Sales Center (ISC) tools for a high-end apartment community in Rancho Cucamonga, CA:

“We are really loving the Focus 360 Interactive Sales Center applications.  It has been a great rapport builder for the leasing staff during the leasing process.  It has really helped us to narrow down floor plans for prospective residents and create the urgency to lease when we pull up the availability map.  It is also something prospects and residents have not seen before which gets them interested and seems to hold their attention and really get them involved.  The interactive piece is huge and having the prospect/resident be able to navigate through the maps and features has been great as well.  Overall our experience so far has been great.”

Brittany Whiteman
Leasing Manager
Homecoming at Terra Vista Apartments
Lewis Apartment Communities

It’s Monday afternoon and I am finalizing my preparations for PCBC.  You know, making sure I have enough business cards, checking the flight time and reviewing our exhibit check list.

This will be the 20th year of Focus 360 exhibiting in San Francisco and boy have things changed over the years!  I won’t get into the what and how but suffice it to say, with all that has happened to our industry in these last couple years alone, I am really looking forward to a positive show.

We will be exhibiting in booth1824 in the South Hall and as I mentioned in my previous post, we will be unveiling our newest Value Line product, the Interactive Sales Center app.  Of course, we will also be sharing our latest and greatest renderings, animations and interactive apps so if you’re in San Francisco for the show, be sure to stop by and say hi.

I am excited to tell you that next week, during the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in San Francisco, we will introduce our newest addition to our Value Line product mix: The Interactive Sales Center App!

This suite of tools will modernize your sales office while engaging, educating and converting your prospects.  Each module comes from our award winning set of sales office presentation tools that have been enhanced to save you money.  Start with just the interactive site plan for under $2k or leverage all the modules including the interactive floor plans and virtual model homes for a 3 plan community for under $20k, including the brochure art AND renderings.

If you would like to learn more, click this link to view the data sheet.  Or, you can call me for an online demonstration at 800.490.1621 extension 115.

For more information on all of our Value Line products, visit www.focus360.com/valueline

If you plan to attend PCBC, be sure to stop by our booth number 1824.

I generally don’t get caught up in the annual ritual of “Spring Cleaning” but this year it’s a bit different.  We migrated our studio from one side of our building to another in order to make room for a new tenant and in the process experienced the mother of all spring cleanings!

We’re talking over 20 years of collecting material samples, blue prints, spec sheets and desk accessories.  Then you add in furniture and equipment that is no longer functional like old computers, peripherals like a vintage DVD player, CRT’s (the tube type monitor’s) and miscellaneous cables of all types.  By the way, it’s pretty scary how much dust can accumulate behind your monitor!

If that wasn’t enough, we hosed out our rather large warehouse of all the stuff we all knew we would need “someday”.  Important things like old gym equipment, outdated brochures, parts for God knows what, even a trebuchet.

And in the end, we hauled away to the dump and the recyclers over 3 tons of stuff!!! (that’s not an exaggeration, we had to weigh it!)

So now, we are in our new studio having shed “tons” of stuff and feeling efficient and streamlined!  And don’t forget, next time you visit our office, park on the other side of the building.  It will save you from an unexpected walk!

-Cheers

Focus 360 is pleased to announce a strategic alliance with First Release Homes Inc. Together our companies will offer a new service that will revolutionize traditional new home sales and marketing by providing cutting edge 3D internet technologies Powered by Focus 360, via a unique online Virtual Purchasing Services. First Release Homes and Focus 360 recently contracted with a San Francisco Builder on a $35 million project in Sacramento (www.thewarrensacramento.com) and will be launching this cutting edge technology in the summer of 2010.

The Problem:

Homebuilders and developers nationwide are faced with many challenges and risks in today’s market.  Financing, either in the form of buyer mortgages or project construction financing, is difficult to obtain, with high levels of pre-sales required by lenders just to begin the underwriting process. The longer a project takes to sell-out, the less profitable that project becomes due to carrying costs.  In today’s tighter market for investment equity and debt financing, these cost could be hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars per month.

The Solution:

First Release Homes, Inc. Powered by Focus 360 is launching a new service for builders that accelerate sales through a new online platform and reduces builder’s sales and marketing budgets significantly, utilizing various technological tools to create buyer urgency to take action. First Release Homes has developed unique “virtual” auction tools that generate the same buzz and excitement found at a live auction.  Through this high-tech process, builders benefit by reducing both direct selling and carrying costs significantly.

The Benefit:

Homebuyers will be able to accomplish virtually everything they now do in person when purchasing a pre-constructed new home. They will be able to select a community based on their own criteria, see the community overview video, select an home, take a virtual tour of the interior, see the approx. view from the unit, select finish options and chat live with an agent to have questions answered instantly. The “buy direct from the builder and save” offering will empower buyers with the ability to virtually view, analyze, reserve and ultimately purchase their unit of choice the moment new home developments are released for sale through the Virtual Purchasing Service.

Sometimes you come across a music video that is so visually stunning and interesting that you just can’t stop yourself from watching it. This is one of those videos and I highly recommend you watch it strictly for its entertainment value.

It’s by an artist named Oren Lavie and called “Her Morning Elegance”.

You may have seen a piece of the video on TV as part of a Chevrolet commercial in the last year.  I can only imagine how much pre-production and how long it must have taken to film this.  Just brilliant!

Enjoy!