Headquartered in Oulu, Finland, floor plan technology provider CubiCasa was acquired by Reno, Nevada-based Clear Capital in late 2021.
The acquisition was a smart one for the property data firm, which, among other services for the lending industry, creates in-depth physical analyses of homes and commercial property for a host of valuation purposes. The ability to quickly capture interior layouts will only enhance its user experience.
Now about a year later, CubiCasa is offering its mobile room-scanner as a free app on both major mobile operating systems. The intent, according to a company statement, is “to make floor plans ubiquitous in the U.S., something that the market has needed for some time but has never had a clear path to reach.”
The company has also lowered prices on its paid upgrades, too.
President of CubiCasa Jeff Allen said in the release that the U.S. has yet to fully embrace all that floor plans can offer homeshoppers.
“In other real estate markets around the world, floor plans are quite common, and we think it’s time the U.S. caught up,” he said. “With our recent technology advancements, we’re now in a position to make our product more accessible than it’s ever been. By offering a free version of our mobile scanning technology in the U.S., we’re helping potential buyers make more informed decisions, while empowering agents and sellers to market their properties more effectively.”
CubiCasa is not alone in that sentiment. Zillow recently rolled out its app’s floor plan capability, nationwide, and Ricoh360 Tours has also made floor plans a highlight feature of its immersive tour technology.
Costs will accumulate if a user chooses to upgrade features on what they create, the release stated. Those add-ons include items like fixed furniture, American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-aligned GLA outputs for the appraisal process and a six-hour turnaround option.
A 2021 report from the National Association of Realtors found that 67 percent of homeshoppers consider floor plans a valuable digital asset when looking at properties. Fewer respondents, 58 percent, value virtual tours as a website asset.
“Users can produce a floor plan using CubiCasa’s technology on their own, or can access the company’s deep network of more than 2,000 certified photographers across all 50 states, who are available to help add value to a listing,” the company stated.
CubiCasa claims its software has made more than 1 million floor plans.
