Kendall Jenner's House in 3D: How virtual walkthroughs give A-list celebrities anonymity

How do celebrities move home so secretly? Let's face it, they don't sit up all night trawling home listing websites or hurriedly tidy their house ahead of a full day of viewings. So how do they go about moving house?

When pop star Rihanna posted a photo of herself on Instagram earlier in 2019, a small but significant detail was enough to blow her property cover. Eagle-eyed fans spotted a Sainsbury's bag for life in the background and after a frenzy of online speculation, the starlet revealed she had, in fact, bought a house in London in 2018!

Many wondered how such a famous person could have made a property purchase and been living in the city for a couple of months, totally undetected. But Rihanna's acquisition served to highlight how A-listers have perfected moving home under the radar. So how do instantly recognisable people look for properties, go on viewings and move house without being noticed?

Celebrities rely on discreet buying agents to do the legwork—those who have unprecedented access to properties before they come on to the market and who are well connected in property circles. Stars are also privy to little known property portals, where the details are so private that you need a secure password to access them.

Technology is also increasingly playing its part too, allowing famous faces to get up close and personal with prospective properties without breaking cover—perfect for times when the paparazzi are on your tail and you're lying low. Take, for instance, the stunning Hollywood Hills residence that Kendall Jenner purchased in July 2016. Real estate agent Southby's first port of call was to commission a Matterport-powered virtual walkthrough and accompanying interactive 3D dolls house graphic, which allowed potential buyers—including Jenner—to take a full tour of the property in secrecy.

Click on the below image to see Kendall Jenner's House in 3D:

This particular transaction was all the more special as the owners were actors Emily Blunt and John Krasinski—stars who are just as unlikely to be seen showing potential buyers around their abode as Jenner would be seen measuring up for curtains and carpets. Jenner has since sold the property (Sept 2017) for a cool $350,000 profit, undoubtedly re-using the Matterport scan during the sale.

It's highly unlikely that anyone buying in Hollywood or other prestigious locations around the globe would want to be publically seen nipping in and out of mansions with an agent in tow, and virtual walkthroughs allow viewings to be conducted in private from anywhere in the world—be it on the slopes of Courchevel or from a yacht moored in Mexico.

When you are dealing in multi-million dollar houses that naturally have a celebrity audience, the conventional ways of buying and selling go out of the window. Matterport technology has also been used to capture other celebrity homes, as well as the Kendall Jenner house, including the Sigmund Freud house in London, Eddie Murphy's house in California (complete with his garage brimming full of super cars), and DJ Deadmau5's house in Toronto, Canada.

For real estate agents, a virtual walkthrough is a great filter—eliminating time wasters and the curious to ensure only authentic, serious buyers are put forward for physical viewings. For buyers, Matterport's virtual walkthroughs are proving instrumental in early decision making—perhaps if a star's busy schedule, international travel or high profile prevents them from visiting in person. With the added ability to view Matterport-captured properties using a virtual reality headset—the next best thing to physically standing in the property—celebrity buyers can enjoy an immersive experience completely anonymously, at any time and from anywhere.

To view the original article, visit the Matterport blog.