Pulte Homes debuts virtual-reality tours of new Phillips Grove community

When in the market for a new home, you could take a tour of the community’s model — or, if you’re looking to buy in Phillips Grove, you can take a customized, virtual tour.

Pulte Homes, homebuilder for Dr. Phillips’ new 229-homesite Phillips Grove community, launched recently its virtual-reality tours to give potential buyers an immersive experience when touring and choosing their new homes.

Matthew True, general sales manager for Pulte at Phillips Grove, said there are so many floor plans offered that it isn’t always possible to build a model of every single one. That’s where the magic of VR takes over.

“We have such large lineups of our floor plans that we can’t physically build models of them all, and this is an opportunity for us in the age of technology that really allows you to immerse yourself in a floor plan and walk through it as if you were walking though one of our models,” True said. “You gain an understanding the flow of the floor plan.”

Phillips Grove has 13 home designs ranging from three to seven bedrooms and two-and-one-half up to six-and-one-half bathrooms, with two- or three-car garages. Floor plans range from 2,000 square feet to more than 5,000 square feet. 

Upon visiting the sales center, homebuyers can take a self-guided tour using a gaming controller to view the floor plan on a television.

“Homebuyers will be able to walk through this home design room by room,” said Clint Ball, president of Pulte’s North Florida division. “Using this advanced technology, they will be able to open closets, step onto the lanai, walk down hallways and understand how the space feels. This innovative tool will really help homebuyers visualize their new Pulte home.”

At the Phillips Grove grand opening Saturday, Aug. 25, True said the technology was a hit with families in attendance. They were lining up to try it and children were picking out their bedrooms as they “walked through.”

The homes on the virtual-reality tour are staged just as they would be in a physical model, down to the decorations, floors and furniture. The Phillips Grove community is Pulte’s first in Central Florida to debut the technology.

“It’s been great — even aside from the opening, it’s a very new community, and Realtors in the area are coming through getting information, and they’ve never seen it before,” True said. “The Realtors take videos of themselves using it to show their clients. They think it’s so cool. The fact that our counterparts in the market and our partners see the value in it shows that we’re on the right track.”

True added he believes the opportunity creates a connection between the consumer and his or her potential home, because it brings their ideas and selected floor plan to life. It’s as close as one can get to physically touring a floor plan, he said.

“It’s a great tool for our sales people to be able to use in the office to show families, and we look forward to what it can do for our business,” True said. “This could go in so many different directions in the future with the capability of this technology, and it’s exciting to see us go out on this venture.”