Simulation, Virtual Reality, And The Future Of Real Estate

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Technology is continuously changing different industries, and real estate is no exception. With the growth of virtual and augmented reality, real estate companies and professionals are keeping up with the demands of their gadget-heavy consumers. Here’s how the real estate business is moving toward a tech-friendly market. 

Virtual staging

 

Real estate professionals always say that an empty house is harder to sell than furnished ones. But thanks to technology and augmented reality, selling homes will be easier. A photographer shoots an empty home, and a “virtual stager” puts on images of furniture to dress the bare space. When clients come through and touch the furniture, they realize that it’s not really there, but it’s just a mere illustration of how a space will look like when it’s packed.

Virtual staging uses LED and LCD projectors to give off an illusion of furniture. It does not just save space, but money as well. A sofa used for staging purposes may cost up to $300 to $400, but virtual staging costs only about $99 per room.

VR tours

 

Some real estate companies use the Matterport camera, which can scan a house in 3-D in minutes and converts the scanned image into a virtual reality experience. Clients can view a property with special, gamer-like binoculars for the home walk-throughs.

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These simulations and virtual reality technologies are convenient and affordable, which is a plus for real estate companies. There is still room for improvement in these technologies, but VR-real estate tours are expected to develop in about two to three years. 

Steven Rindner is a business executive who has extensive background in growth strategy in media, health care, and real estate. Visit this blog to read similar articles.

Improving Profit by Utilizing Customer Feedback

An underutilized tool in business development is customer feedback. For the most part, entrepreneurs see this to be a "soft" option; a set of information that cannot be justly quantified or relied upon. The term does suggest this. There is absolutely no way to delineate biases from customer feedback. Nevertheless, used correctly, feedback from one’s clients can be used to augment existing data and address certain issues.

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There is a time and place for everything. Customer feedback can give clues to areas that would otherwise go unnoticed. How does this product or service make you feel? What emotion does this product or service provoke? These are factors that mere scientific data cannot record. This becomes of especial importance in industries that promote personal interaction. An example would be health care. Technically speaking, health is a matter of numbers. Did the medicine work? If so, how fast did it take? What were the side effects, if there are any? These are all quantifiable data. However, hospitalization goes beyond this. Now, government and health agencies are tracking bedside manners as well. This has more than a cosmetic reason: studies have found that patients improve faster when they are happier, less stressed, and feel that they are well taken care of. Numbers – substantial and irrefutable evidence – are affected by an intangible, feedback.

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This has a direct effect on profit. People are more likely to repeat pleasurable experiences. This is how one gains repeat customers. When the feedback is good, entrepreneurs may use this to continue practices that work. Similarly, customer feedback can be used to pinpoint areas that need improvement or should be disregarded.  

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Taming the Wanderer: How to Improve Focus while Running

The mind can easily be distracted when the body is in motion. After a few minutes of picking up pace and working on the form, even the most determined runner could entertain various distracting thoughts. Whether the off-putting thoughts are positive or negative, runners must keep their mind on the race.

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If a runner’s mind tends to wander, he or she can time a run and examine when these moments come. Do the thoughts come after twenty minutes? Are the thoughts negative or positive? Do they affect form and speed? Do they affect the runner’s desire to clock in good time? With these considerations, running with a friend or a coach might help in monitoring focus.

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During long courses, a good method to staying focused is to think about the victorious feeling of reaching the finish line. Instead of thinking what to eat or do after the run, dwelling on the feeling of reaching the end puts the mind back in perspective. The only thing that matters in this situation is finishing successfully. Visualizing the finish line will help the runner keep up or improve speed and continuously check on the form even during the toughest situations. Strong athletes have developed strong minds. As they work hard to succeed, their mind remains razor-sharp and fully present.

Steven Rindner is a business and corporate development executive with a strong background in business development and growth strategy across a number of industries including media, technology, real estate services, and healthcare. He is currently working for Belgium-based Besins Healthcare International. For more articles about marathons, subscribe to this page.205.185.222.65

Race to The Top: Valuable Leadership Skills You Develop as a Runner

Those who participate in sports can learn many skills that they can use to become better leaders and more fulfilled human beings in general. Runners can develop some special skills training for foot races that they can carry over to daily life.

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• Preparation is key - One can’t simply decide to run a marathon and race the next day. Barring the comic superhero, The Flash, no one can run 26.219 miles or more without the proper physical and mental training, the right gear, and a prepared support team. The same is true for starting on an endeavor. Leaders cannot come up with an idea and then expect it to be perfect and precise immediately. Everything requires preparation, research, and the right minds and hands to execute the plan.

• Demeanor matters - Much like how athletes need to develop the proper form for maximum performance, leadership also has an ideal structure. That is, according to this Economist blog, to be seen as a leader and be an effective one too, a person has to project the look and sound of someone solid, reliable, powerful, and knowledgeable. This means anything from being eloquent, well-dressed, and poised.
• Having clear goals helps - Goal-setting is an integral part of running a marathon. This undertaking is by no means easy, and can take up a lot of time. However, it doesn’t have to be an impossible quest with the right motivation and dedication. Leadership also requires a clear vision and objective, and the ability to motivate one’s team to work for the common goal.
• Quick-thinking creates race winners and leaders - Admittedly, even with enough preparation, extraneous factors like injuries, getting lost, or inclement weather can threaten to slow runners down. Thinking clearly under duress can help a runner make the right call for any situation – whether it means powering on or choosing to go to the hospital. The same is true for a leader. Sometimes one may find solutions for problems, and sometimes it’s time to face the music and pivot. What makes one a true leader is the ability to assess the situation and make clear-headed decisions. 

Without a doubt running, as well as many other sports, can expose people to useful insights and learning experiences that can turn them into effective and efficient leaders.

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A Natural Stride: Trying Out Barefoot Running

For years, people have been buying expensive pairs of shoes to help them run without getting injured. But do we really need foam and cushion to protect our joints from injuries? 

Recent studies show that barefoot running is the best way to get fit. Traditional people have been running barefoot, an activity which is believed to strengthen the feet in a more natural way.

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Studies say that running with motion-controlled and well-cushioned shoes is like having your neck in a cast for a long time. When the cast is taken off, your neck will be weak. The same thing applies to running shoes. When you pound and bounce the balls of your feet harder into the cushions of your running shoes, it will cause problems in your feet, knees, and other joints. 

It’s not bad to give barefoot running a try. One will have to spend a long time getting used to having soil on their feet while running. Your feet may also feel weak when you start running barefoot. It may even take you weeks before you master a new stride.

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If you hurt your feet after a lap or two, try resting before running again. It’s best to find a relaxed foot strike that will not stress your feet and joints.

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45 and Still Running: Fast facts about the New York City Marathon

This year, the New York City Marathon celebrates its 45th year, a grand feat given that the very first race was held entirely in Central Park and only had 127 entrants. The 2015 race, which was held on November 1st, saw a registration of 50,229 entrants, with the participants running a 26.2 mile (42.2 km) course that covered all five boroughs of New York City. From the relatively simple event that Fred Lebow and Vince Chiappetta organized in 1970, the New York City Marathon has grown to one of the biggest (if not the biggest) running events the world today.

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Below are other interesting facts about the Big Apple’s most iconic road race:

1. For the first New York City Marathon, only 55 men finished the race, and the sole female entrant dropped out due to illness. Winners were given inexpensive wristwatches and recycled baseball and bowling trophies. The entry fee was $1, and the total event budget was $1,000. (This year’s first place finishers received $100,000, and entry cost was around $250.) 

2. Women were barred from running marathons until the Amateur Athletic Union finally lifted the ban in 1971, provided female runners started either 10 minutes before or after the men. In 1972, six female runners joined the New York City Marathon. They waited for the signal for their 10-minute head start but once the gun went off, they sat down in protest against the discriminatory policy, and begun the race with everyone else.

3. Some of the runners who joined the New York City Marathon do so to raise money for a good cause. The 2014 race helped raise a record $34.5 million for various charitable causes.

4. The 2000 race was the first year that wheelchair and handcycle racers had their own formal, competitive division following 20 years of racing as part of an exhibition event.

5. Apart from the canon blast that signals the start of the race, Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” is also played over the loudspeakers.

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Rebuilding Image: When Is the Right Time to Rebrand?

Many entrepreneurs today opt to rebrand their companies, products, and services for a multitude of reasons. Some companies rebrand to change a significant element of their business while others repackage their image to communicate better a more relevant brand promise. 

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Rebranding, however, does more than changing the look or feel of a company. It also means spending a lot of effort and shelling out millions of dollars to come up with a memorable image that will represent the business perfectly. 

That said, before draining all your financial and capital resources, it is important to ask: Does your company really need to rebrand and when is the right time to do so? 

Maria Ross, business author and chief strategist for the branding and marketing consultancy firm Red Slice notes that if a business is experiencing a decrease in sales and customers, then it may be the perfect time to rebrand. 

She adds: “If you see that more of your customers are going to your competition, you have to look at your entire business and also your brand. According to Ross, companies must reassess the identity of the company and relate as to how it affects its operations. 

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Other than this, industry experts also suggest rebranding in case the business needs to attract new markets. They should also rebrand if the company is experiencing internal changes within its organization, which at most times also means a change in philosophy and function. 

Remember, rebranding does more than transforming the aesthetic and other physical values of a business. If you are planning to rebrand, always take into consideration your purpose and direction. For more tips on branding and business, follow this Steven Rindner on Google+ Page.