In 2009, I started my business, offering services including 360-degree photography and virtual tours. From the very beginning, I have followed developments in 360-degree cameras, 3D scanners, and the wide range of software solutions with great interest. Since the pandemic took hold of the world, I have noticed an increasing demand for a cost-effective way of virtually viewing properties. I am pleased to share my experience and insights from the past years with my clients.
A large portion of my clients own, sell, or lease commercial and residential real estate. For the presentation of these properties, I have been providing professional photography and promotional videos for many years. Increasingly, clients are recognizing that virtual property viewings can be a valuable addition to the sales process. For that reason, I now offer a new product: a cost-effective virtual tour.
Another group of clients uses my interactive virtual tours for purposes such as e-learning, werving en selectie, and — almost self-evidently — marketing and advertising. Until recently, I created 360-degree images exclusively using a fully manual camera setup. The creative freedom and technical possibilities are virtually unlimited. With this setup, I have produced thousands of 360-degree images in well-known hotels, luxury villas, and distinctive apartments.
Whenever I experimented with alternative camera configurations, I eventually ran into limitations and returned to my trusted traditional setup — especially when creating 360-degree images where the viewer experiences the perspective from the front seats of highly exclusive cars.
Without going too deeply into the concept of Parallax, the essence is that when objects are close to the camera, stitching seamless 360-degree images becomes more challenging. This issue arises more frequently in smaller spaces than in larger ones.
Due to the pandemic, demand for virtual viewings and virtual tours has increased significantly. For this reason, I invested in a new 360-degree camera setup. Cost-efficiency was the decisive factor in my selection:
The physical viewing remains crucial for real estate agents and investors when closing a sale. However, open house events can sometimes become overcrowded. With these virtual tours, I aim to 1) reduce pressure on physical viewings for agents and 2) facilitate a natural pre-selection among prospective buyers.
Until 2017, I offered my services under two trade names: Maukoop and Kijk Virtueel. The latter clearly conveyed to new clients what I provided: virtual viewing and virtual tours. However, since my services extend well beyond virtual tours, I decided to operate entirely under my own name: Kevin Middelkoop.
Last week, the website was taken offline. The domain name now redirects to kevinmiddelkoop.nl. This allows me to use it for my clients’ virtual tours under a logical and recognizable domain name. For example:
