Tech Startup Uses Virtual and Augmented Reality to Disrupt the Housing Industry

AUGUST 19, 2019 – SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio-based Braustin Mobile Homes uses AR and Virtual Reality to bring affordable housing to America’s middle class.

The company was founded in 2017 by brothers Jason and Alberto Piña.

The Piñas established Braustin Mobile Homes as a response to the country’s growing need for affordable housing and as a way to eliminate the waste that goes into the home buying process.

The company capitalized on the growing tech scene in San Antonio by blending their industry experience with a lot of research into consumer behavior, especially how consumers would like to buy a home. As people have shifted how they search for and receive information, Braustin saw an opportunity to advance its industry and reach more customers. 

Braustin made significant investments in its infrastructure to provide homebuyers with several first-of-its-kind experiences in manufactured housing.

It recently opened its first 300-square foot Virtual Outpost (sales center) in New Braunfels, Texas. The center allows prospective homebuyers to use available kiosks to view Braustin’s pricing, to see floor plans, and to virtually walk-through homes. 

People can also download the Braustin app for an interactive Augmented Reality experience using Braustin’s home buying catalog.

The catalog is a 30-page interactive showcase, which comes to life as homebuyers view its pages using the custom-designed Braustin smartphone app. Users can listen to the testimonials of other homebuyers, hear from Alberto Piña himself, and check out floor plans in a 3D pop-up format. 

The app additionally allows people to submit all of their paperwork from its interface, making the loan application and buying processes a lot easier.

Braustin spent over one year designing and developing the Virtual Outpost, smartphone app and Augmented Reality experiences — a first in the manufactured housing sector and a significant investment for this startup. 

To manage its vision for the customer experience, Braustin enlisted the support of fellow San Antonio tech company Ractive, led by John Perry. Ractive created the immersive Augmented Reality marketing tools for Braustin.

Perry’s team also collaborated with another tech innovator in David Daeschler to develop Braustin’s proprietary homebuying app. 

This AR experience is not Perry’s first groundbreaking work.  Perry is notable for his work creating custom VR gaming for Paralympic athletes.  Daeschler has built his own reputation with extensive experience in the medtech industry, including developing tools that help identify signs of Alzheimer’s up to 10 years sooner.

Additionally, San Antonio-based White Cloud Drones has been instrumental in documenting the construction process, which educates the homebuyer on what they can expect. The video production company has provided a mix of coverage, including drone footage to build time-lapse showcases of finished projects. 

The decision to focus on people versus profits is novel in the manufactured housing industry, but to Pina, it just made sense as the place to start.  Braustin understood that it must provide prospective homebuyers with easy-to-use research tools, up-front pricing, and transparency at all levels of the sale in order to achieve its mission. 

“Our company was built on a foundation of collaboration,” said Alberto Piña. “We understand the importance of communication in the homebuying experience. People need to feel connected to and trust the company they are buying from. We know there is a large pool of potential customers across America. We enlisted the support of talented software developers so we could elevate our company and disrupt the manufactured housing industry.”

According to Braustin stats, more than 70% of its sales are conducted virtually without any face-to-face contact with the customer. The remaining 30% meet for traditional in-person consultations. The company’s unique business model and efficient approach keeps its overhead considerably lower than competitors — savings which are passed on to its customers. 

“In a lot of ways, we are bringing people closer together by using tech as our bridge,” Alberto Piña said. “We can ultimately reach more customers, more efficiently direct them through the sales process, save them money, and get them into a home faster than ever.”

With its Virtual Outpost fully operational and its tech-driven infrastructure set, Braustin can focus on delivering industry-leading customer service, while expanding into other areas of the country. For additional information, please visit www.findmymobilehome.com.

About Braustin Mobile Homes  

Founded in 2017 by Jason and Alberto Piña, Braustin Mobile Homes is focused on bringing trust back to mobile homes in an effort to address the need for affordable housing across the country. Braustin’s use of technology to streamline and improve the process of buying a home sets them apart from both the factory-built housing industry and home builders in general.

For more information, visit www.findmymobilehome.com or call 210.593.8095. 

Media Contact
Company Name: Braustin Mobile Homes
Contact Person: Alberto Pina
Email: Send Email
Phone: 210-960-8449
Address:16196 S US Hwy 281
State: TX
Country: United States
Website: https://www.findmymobilehome.com/