Ever hear of a 3D Walkthrough?

An article in the Washington Post talks about the use of model homes to help market the growing inventory of newly constructed properties as the housing market continues to cool off across the country.

Hey Homebuilders! Ever hear of a 3D Walkthrough? Model homes are great to show the interior possibilities, but what about the amenities, surrounding areas and other planned features that cannot be replicated with a model home?
In addition to being able to demonstrate features which are limited by a model home 3D Walkthroughs and 3D renderings are also a lot more inexpensive to create, much more flexible and much quicker to turnaround. 3dwalkthroughs.com predicts it is just a matter of time before a 3D Walkthrough totally replaces the use of a model home.

Dressed to Sell
With Houses Lingering on the Market, Builders Outfit Their Model Homes

By Nancy Trejos
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 2, 2007; F01

Sales were swift when Winchester Homes began marketing Broad Creek Landing, a cul-de-sac community of 24 single-family houses not far from downtown Annapolis -- so swift that Winchester officials saw no need to decorate their model home.

But 18 months later, the market has cooled and there are seven houses left to be sold, starting in the upper $700,000s.

In January, Winchester enlisted Model Home Interiors of Elkridge, Md., to decorate three key rooms in its model, which had been sitting empty since it was constructed in July because it was assumed that the project would sell out quickly. In went two oversize brown chairs and a coffee table in the family room; a table, four chairs and a pitcher in the solarium; and another table with four chairs and a bowl of fake pasta in the dining room.

"This is better than it being plain white walls," said Pat Vogt, community sales manager for the project, as she stood in the dining room.

Back during the boom years, when people would camp overnight to buy into a new community, the model home lost some of its impact as a selling tool. Like Winchester, some builders did not even decorate their models. Others used the models only to market their upgrades. Now that the pace of sales has slowed, however, builders and interior designers say the model home has become more important than ever in marketing an entire community.

One sign that model-home merchandising is making a comeback is the growing popularity of "vignette" decorating, or dressing up certain rooms rather than an entire house. When builders are stuck with leftover houses to sell, they try to entice buyers by making the most popular spaces, such as the dining room and family room, seem more livable by adding furniture, tapestries, knickknacks or even fake fruit. In essence, it is a quickie styling job to get a house off the market.
The rest the article can be found here>>>