Property insider view: Property Studios’ Michelle Milnes on making virtual success a commercial reality

We offer the largest catalogue of products, from the more traditional marketing tools such as photography, films, brochures, and floorplans, to the latest cutting-edge technology to allow 3D modelling – virtual reality tours, microsites, and virtual staging – where we can give a home a photo-realistic makeover, digitally.

How did you start? From humble beginnings in 2014 with a two-person team, we have organically grown through word-of-mouth to a team of nearly 50, with two offices in Scotland and a newly launched office in South Africa.

The driving idea behind Property Studios has been to bring affordable, accessible, and creative marketing to the property sector through pioneering technology.

CGI of a kitchen in an Edinburgh development for Gilson Gray

Property is the most expensive commodity most of us will ever own and it should be presented in a way that will attract potential buyers.

What is your background?I am a South African-born immigrant with a background in media and creative marketing.

My passion for architecture, photography, and writing landed me a dream job at a property firm in 2009 in Edinburgh, where I started as descriptions writer and photographer.

I worked my way up to create and run my own department and become an LLP member of the firm, before leaving and setting up Property Studios.

A virtual lounge renovation for agent Northwood

What inspired you to start the company? I was shocked, looking at the property industry, how little attention was paid to marketing homes which are the most expensive thing that most people will ever sell.

I set up on my own in January 2014, to provide a superior service and product – to truly showcase a property at an affordable rate.

Soon after setting up, I realised that technology was changing and opening new possibilities for virtual marketing and modelling.

Over the years, we have invested heavily in both hardware, software, IT-specialists, and CGI artists who can bring physical spaces into the virtual world and create photo-realistic architecture, animations, and 3D interiors.

When we launched some of our first products, the uptake was slow, as it can be a difficult concept to explain, but we stuck to our guns and are today leading the field.

Making these products affordable to a mass market was our biggest obstacle, however, we are able to create state-of-the art products for as little as £50 – something I am very proud of.

Although traditional marketing, such as photography and brochures, are still our bread and butter – we complete about 500 a month – a large part of our business today is to virtually create complete developments, giving homes for sale virtual makeovers, new gardens, and virtually dressing showhomes for some of the largest names in the property sector.

Who are your clients?We service just over 30 Scottish firms on contract, doing all their property marketing, and they include solicitor estate agents, national commercial agents, high-end agents, as well as smaller agencies and independents.

We also serve some of Scotland’s most prestigious builders and developers, as well as smaller companies.

With our recent launch in South Africa, we have already signed contracts with agencies and developers in Pretoria and Cape Town, as well as CGI work in Ethiopia and as far as Australia.

How has the pandemic affected your business?Covid completely changed everything, making virtual viewing the norm – certainly for a [potential buyer’s] first look.

I also think that the pandemic has given estate agents and developers time to think about how to improve their business, and understand the technology and how realistic and affordable the finished [marketing] product can be.

In response to the pandemic, our team immediately set about devising “lockdown-proof” property marketing.

The first was Live Interactive Viewing, where online viewers experience the property while chatting with the agent in real time.

Effectively “first” viewings, these tours give viewers the confidence to take their interest further without them having to set foot inside the building.

During the lockdown, we have also virtually completed half-renovated churches, created many show homes, and 3D models of buildings with interactive floorplans to help potential buyers understand the flow and layout of a property, from the comfort of a sofa.

Where do you find your staff? We usually have a recruitment drive when we are looking for new team members, either here or in South Africa.

We employ a large range of skilled creatives, and some skills are easier to find than others.

We generally recruit on values and attitude, as we believe most skills can be taught but we have had real difficulty recruiting specialist IT and CGI professionals.

The Far East is leading the way in digital interior modelling, but it is not a market we can utilise, as the nuances of taste and interiors are so specific to an area and demographic.

To deliver a truly top-quality product, the teams need to get to know each developer or client and their personal taste to understand how to deliver a product that blows them away.

Life file

Born and raised In Pretoria, South Africa.

Education I studied visual communication and a B-Tech in journalism, both in Pretoria. I am currently completing my MBA.

FamilyMarried to Tim, an academic at the University of Edinburgh and a portrait artist in his spare time. We have a four-year-old son called Sam and a rescue dog from Romania.

Career Highs As a student, I once had a front-page scoop for a broadsheet newspaper, and I later worked as a publicist for music artists Eddie Grant and Johnny Clegg while they were touring South Africa. With the current business, I was proud to have won a Business Woman Scotland award for 2020, and that same year we were the only UK-based business to win an International Titan Property Award.

My home We are very lucky to live in a house designed by Sir Robert Lorimer.

Plans for retirement I love what I do and think I’d go bonkers if I retired too soon, but when I do it will be to somewhere sunny with a coastal view.

Personal motto Dream. Work hard. Be honest. Be kind.