6 minute read
The new tech that’s changing the way properties sell
New technologis set to revolutionise the way properties are presented to potential buyers. These changes are being accelerated by COVID restrictions but as the technology progresses further, virtual inspections are here to stay and will play an increasing role in rural property marketing.
Virtual inspections will not eliminate physical inspections, but they will make properties far more accessible earlier in a marketing campaign.
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Virtual inspections will also help to engage foreign buyers. A greater appreciation of a property’s attributes can now be gained from high quality images and maps from anywhere in the world, opening the market to far more buyers than has been possible in the past.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY VIRTUAL INSPECTIONS?
Virtual inspections range from relatively simple highquality images of key aspects of a property taken by experienced agents using hand-held devices to sophisticated aerial images merged to create threedimensional models. Some of the tools that are becoming more widely available include: > Mobile phones fitted into a gimbal that stabilises the image as the agent moves around (frequently used in residential inspections). These can be used to capture a wide variety of images across the farm, including infrastructure, accommodation, equipment, fencing and water points. They are also able to be used to provide images of landscapes, pastures and crops. > Drones capturing video footage, panoramic views, high quality two and three-dimensional maps. Drones are increasingly used for videography but new cameras and software that can turn multiple images into maps are now available and increasingly used in other industries. > Aerial images and maps using fixed-wing aircraft can capture images of much larger areas and carry imaging equipment able to record not just visible light but a range of other sections of the light spectrum. > Satellites routinely capture images of all areas of
Australia. The images they capture are becoming far cheaper to access and analyse. > Even the now humble Google Earth is widely used to review properties prior to inspections.
Not all these tools need be used. They should be selected and combined to present key aspects of the property to potential buyers that engage them and builds interest, encouraging prospects to find out more.
THE ROLE OF AGENTS IN THE NEW PROPERTY MARKETING ERA
But virtual inspections are not just about imagery – commentary from experienced agents on the images is an important part of presenting a property to buyers. This can be recorded while using the device or added to the images later and presented in a video or an online format. The images also need to be accessible to the market; loaded onto a website or distributed digitally.
Speaking directly to an agent, using a web-based video platform (Zoom or Teams for example) where images and footage can be shared, and questions asked will be a common feature of property marketing in the future.
There are number of platforms becoming available where any property can be viewed using publicly available images captured by satellites, and where any number of additional data layers can be added to create a profile of the property. the market as to the way in which properties are presented for sale. Also, the greater use of digital platforms as a medium for presenting properties, means that more highquality content needs to be produced.
As more information can be collected and presented to the market, the greater the need for experienced agents, backed by local knowledge, to advise the best combination of technology and marketing media to use. Once the property is in the marketplace, it is also important to have experienced and knowledgeable agents to present it to potential buyers. Elders is investing in a range of new technology and platforms for use by our Farmland Team to capture the most important features of a property to present to potential buyers. These technologies and our agents are backed by over 500 technical, crop, livestock and other specialists working in all major agricultural areas of Australia.
Jo Williams Lucerne Research & Development
Eyre Peninsula running the NVT trials, Jo Williams returned home to her family farm with her husband at Field in the upper southeast of South Australia. At the same time, she began work for S&W Seed Company Australia in lucerne research and development. Over the last 11 years, this role has progressed into lucerne breeder for the Australian program. Lucerne has always been a passion for Jo and her family. Their 5,000 breeding merino sheep operation relies heavily on lucerne pastures, providing a much needed, high quality feed option for their stock. They also produce up to 300 hectares of dryland lucerne seed each season. The global lucerne-breeding program at S&W is heavily focused on producing high forage and seed yielding varieties, with high resistance across the pest and disease profiles. The breeding program is also focused on a range of traits, including salt tolerance, low lignin, and high-quality varieties. Having a global program, allows the breeders at S&W to take advantage of the two growing seasons in both the northern and southern hemispheres each year. This means that they can concurrently run the screening trials globally. Jo elaborates on the benefits of simultaneous breeding programs, “For the farmer this means quicker turn-around of material going from the evaluation stage to the commercial stage – Best genetics, faster.” Plant selections are made across all major lucerne growing regions globally. These selections are then crossed to produce F1 seed, the first generation of seed of a new variety. This breeding line is then entered into all screening programs, including, dormancy, forage, seed, salt, pest, and disease trials. Once a breeding line has shown to meet the high standards that all S&W lucerne varieties must achieve to progress in the program, the breeding line is then advanced to the seed build up stage and then onto commercialisation. This process can take up to seven years to ensure that all varieties produced from the S&W breeding program continue to be leaders in the marketplace. There are some very exciting new products that will shortly be available to domestic growers from the global breeding program. These include varieties with a range of dormancy from 5-10, catering for all domestic lucerne growing regions and end use systems, whether it be cut and carry or grazing. These varieties have been extensively screened through the forage and seed yield as well as the pest and disease trials, producing elite, high quality lucerne varieties. S&W Seed Company Australia SW6330 is a high forage yielding lucerne variety with a dormancy rating of 6. It is a versatile variety suited to grazing, hay and silage production. SW6330 is a fine stemmed variety with a high leaf to stem ratio, producing high feed value forage. It recovers rapidly from grazing or cutting, showing excellent persistence, both in commercial operations in replicated trials, persistence rated at 100% after the four years of trials. It has an impressive pest and disease package, being resistant to Bacterial Wilt, Fusarium Wilt, Anthracnose, Phytophthora Root Rot, Spotted Alfalfa Aphid, Pea Aphid and Southern Root knot Nematode and moderately resistant to Blue Alfalfa Aphid and Stem Nematode. Jo continues to enjoy the challenge of breeding lucerne varieties that fit a global marketplace with exceptional yields and quality. She gains great joy and satisfaction from seeing the S&W lucerne varieties performing well for growers and adding to the profitability of their farming businesses. When she’s not busy breeding lucerne or sheep farming, you will find Jo with her husband and two children enjoying the beach, savouring a glass of bubbles.
Image: Jo Williams S&W Seed Company Lucerne Research & Development
