Creating complete property listings with photos and floor plans
Property Visualization
5 min read
Challenge
Context around selling property in Ireland
Auctioneera was founded after Helen’s colleague helped his parents sell a property in Ireland and learned that most estate agents charged a commission of one-and-a-half to two percent of the sales price.
Helen explains that commission-based selling does not scale with the amount of work involved in selling a property. A sale depends on whether people like the property and whether it suits their requirements, rather than the effort involved.
Auctioneera chose a different model and charges a fixed fee of around 2000 euro to sell any property, regardless of size or sale price.
The company also identified that many estate agents in Ireland did not include floor plans with listings, instead providing only room measurements in text form.
Solution
Using floor plans as part of every property listing
Auctioneera developed its process by breaking down the basic elements needed to bring a property to market: photography, floor plans, and an estate agent.
When a seller contacts Auctioneera, their details are logged into the company’s software system and the property is assigned to an agent. A free valuation is completed, and if the seller proceeds, a letter of engagement is signed.
The next step is scheduling a photography and floor plan appointment. Auctioneera’s photographer visits the property to take photographs of the exterior and every room inside. If the seller has opted for videography, a video walkthrough is also recorded.
The photographer creates the floor plan using magicplan and uses a Bluetooth laser measurer for accuracy. After the visit, the photographer completes post-production and exports the floor plan to Auctioneera’s internal dashboard.
This triggers a job for the description writer, who uses both the photographs and the floor plan to write the property description. The seller then reviews the listing, including the photographs, floor plan, and description, and either approves it or requests changes before it goes live.
Auctioneera has used magicplan since the company launched and has not used any other floor plan tool.
Results
Supporting listings, descriptions, and approvals
Floor plans are included with every listing. Helen explains that floor plans are essential for writing accurate descriptions and understanding the layout of a property.
The description writer uses photographs in one tab and the floor plan in another to visualize the space while writing. This allows the writer to confidently describe the property.
Photography and floor plan creation typically take about one hour for a two-bedroom apartment. Larger properties take longer, with four- or five-bedroom houses requiring additional time for both photography and floor plans.
Helen notes that professional photography and floor plans are included as part of Auctioneera’s fee and are viewed as a unique selling point.
Outlook
Features and future use
Helen describes her favorite magicplan feature as the “Filler Room” feature, which automatically adds connecting spaces such as hallways between rooms.
She explains that magicplan was recommended in multiple articles prior to launch and stood out for its ease of use and free option.
When asked to describe magicplan in one word, Helen gives her answer. “Excellent.”
