My Matterport journey began on an early morning in May 2017. With butterflies in my stomach, I armed myself with a positive attitude and Seapoint’s first Matterport camera. Together we tackled my very first solo Matterport shoot: a spacious lakefront home deep in the Barrington, New Hampshire forest.

Virtual tours have always been a powerful tool for selling homes. Still, once the virus hit, realtors and businesses were forced to find new ways to help their homes and products sell. Matterport tours became the answer. 

This year, our Matterport tour bookings tripled from the previous year. Some weeks were so busy that I was personally taking care of 3 or 4 shoots per day. 

Very early on in the outbreak, it became apparent that our focus would take a necessary shift to retail stores and other businesses. With store closures, occupancy limits, and the public’s general fear, some retailers were forced to get creative in order to survive. By using a virtual tour, business owners created an online space for customers to shop. In a tour, a customer could virtually walk through the store, click on any (tagged) product, examine it in VR, and select the link to purchase online. It felt like shopping in person… well, as close as we could get during a pandemic.

In April we captured a tour for Chilton Furniture (mentioned before) and in May created a tour for Mainely Tubs, an enormous hot tub showroom in Scarborough. 

By October, we had lined up the largest job we’ve ever had (and quite possibly one of the largest Matterports ever captured), Jordan’s Furniture in South Portland, Maine. To tackle the 110,000 square foot space, we created 16 different tours over two days.

We were also happy to work with the town of Kittery, Maine to capture the largest single tour we’ve done: the Kittery Community Center. This building used to be an elementary school and now serves as a multipurpose community center that supports various programs. This massive 50,000 square foot space contains a gymnasium with a balcony walking track, fitness center, theater, art gallery, child care center, and more! 

The directors are using the tour as a tool to demonstrate safety and security protocols (like fire escape routes) throughout the building.

When the lockdown occurred in March, real estate open houses suddenly became impossible to accomplish. That’s when many realtors wisely pivoted to online open houses, taking advantage of VR tour technology. The Boston Globe interviewed one of our clients, Realtor Bill Patterson, and in turn, our own agency. We were thrilled to have our virtual tours, and our CEO Bill Cutrer featured in the article. The weeks following the publication of this article were our busiest all year.

Our first Matterport of the year was the Rice Library in Kittery, Maine. The Rice Library is a 4-story historic building. Back in 2015, we captured the space with our first Matterport camera, and wanted to re-shoot it with the Pro2 3D camera. We loved the results.

In June, I was able to visit the Kittery Historical Museum and capture a tour. This small museum is packed with interesting stories from our Seacoast Maine town. Our camera, Foster, was also happy to learn about his namesake, Fort Foster, and the history surrounding it. 

What better way to end a successful year than to expand? Our team down in Atlanta, Georgia joined us in the VR tour world in providing Matterport services. They named their camera “Springer” after Springer Mountain in Georgia. Springer Mountain begins a 2,000+ mile trek that ends at Maine’s Mount Katahdin; a little walk you may know as the Appalachian Trail. It’s a fitting name that connects our two teams. 

On December 1st, we and Foster celebrated our FIFTH anniversary of offering Matterport services. We’re proud to have been the first Matterport Service Provider in northern New England, capturing hundreds of virtual tours in these past 5 years.

It was strange to be out and about as an essential worker during the pandemic. I remember one trip in particular; April 2nd, and I was on my way to Boston via Route 1. Normally a trip that requires navigating through heavy traffic, this morning was eerie. I remember thinking, “I could skateboard down this highway today.” Once I arrived in Boston, I parked my car on Commonwealth Avenue and stared down the empty street. There was no one around. It was bizarre, to say the least. 

We all know that this year has been incredibly hard for most of us. But at Seapoint, we have also found it to be so rewarding and exciting. Though it may sound patronizing, I’ll say from my heart: we have the most wonderful clients. We’re honored to have so many repeat clients who appreciate our good service and quality product, and we’re excitedly looking forward to the coming year and what it brings!