Exclusive VR event helps another BtR scheme take off

Manchester-based Build to Rent (BtR) specialist, Ascend, hosted a virtual reality (VR) event to showcase Affinity Living’s Riverside development.

The 17-storey residential tower, which boasts stunning views across Manchester and Salford, comprises a mix of 190 one, two and three bedroom apartments for rent. 

While works to the build were ongoing, Affinity Living tasked Ascend with maximising early rent opportunities for local people. With no site access possible, Ascend embraced VR to showcase the high-specification apartments to prospective residents, providing a firsthand experience of the stunning new properties.

The event, which took place at Manchester’s five-star Lowry Hotel, offered around 50 potential customers a 360-degree virtual tour of the whole development, with accurate, detailed insight into the apartments’ design and finish. 

On the night itself, 20 units were reserved. Within four weeks of the event, 35% of the apartments were taken. 

Speaking on the success, Ged McPartlin, Managing Director of Ascend, said: 

Technology has redefined how we’re engaging with our customers. Embracing VR meant that we were able to give Affinity Living customers a truly interactive look at the finished apartments during the extensive renovation project. This tech-first approach takes the future of real estate, and how we are communicating with prospective residents, to a whole new level.

Ascend was appointed as the sole lettings partner of Affinity Living Riverside scheme in 2019. The properties are a prime example of how BtR schemes are providing residents with a more flexible way of living. 

The apartments offer free broadband, co-working and communal spaces – as well as being just five minutes’ walk from central Manchester hotspots, including Spinningfields. Residents can bring pets, and there are no limits when it comes to personalising the space.