Rocket Mortgage App Adds VR With New Apple Vision Pro Feature – Forbes Advisor – Technologist

Prospective home buyers can now find and tour their dream homes in mixed reality—without leaving their living rooms. Online real estate platform Rocket Homes is making its app available on Apple Vision Pro, the tech giant’s new headset that blends digital content with physical space. Rocket app users can view and tour homes with 3D imaging and spatial technology.

You can download the Rocket Homes app for Vision Pro from the Apple App Store.

“We are constantly developing new ways to make the home search more convenient and effective,” said Rocket Homes president Sam Vida in a news release.  In December, the company updated the Rocket Homes app for use on vehicle-based infotainment systems through Apple CarPlay.

How Does Rocket Homes Work on the Apple Vision Pro?

The Apple Vision Pro platform allows users to browse and evaluate home listings in three ways, according to Rocket Homes:

1. Immersive touring and hand gestures. You can immerse yourself in a home using the “look around” feature, which allows you to view the space using 3D imaging and spatial reality technology. The platform allows you to compare multiple listings side by side and swipe through them with hand gestures. You can also zoom in on a map listing using hand gestures.
2. SharePlay and FaceTime connectivity. The Rocket Homes app lets you look at homes with others using the SharePlay feature on the Vision Pro. Other viewers can view your listings and participate in virtual home tours via FaceTime on a smartphone or tablet.
3. Voice commands and machine learning. Users can use voice commands to find listings in specific areas and adjust their search preferences as needed. If you have a Rocket account, the app will show you listings based on your previous browsing history and favorites.

Is Rocket Homes Connected to Rocket Mortgage?

Rocket Homes is an online real estate platform and home search site that provides access to local market reports, housing market conditions, home prices and purchase trends. It’s part of the fintech platform firm Rocket Companies, which is also the parent of Rocket Mortgage.

The Rocket Homes app enables home shoppers to interact with real estate agents in all 50 states, who can guide them through the home-buying process. It also helps prospective buyers obtain mortgage loans through Rocket Mortgage.

Virtual Reality Is Becoming More Popular in Real Estate

Virtual reality and spatial computer technology have been taking hold in the real estate industry ever since Covid-19 lockdowns restricted potential home buyers from visiting homes in person.

But the technology has continued to grow in popularity, in part because it allows buyers to get a detailed look at homes and determine which they want to visit in person—and which to cross off their list.

“I’ve had many buyers moving to another state who purchase a home sight unseen due to the cost and time it would take to travel to those properties,” said Florida real estate agent Matt Mesimer in a news release.

With the Rocket app for Vision Pro, he said, “buyers will be able to take a more immersive look at a property from anywhere in the country.”