JLL Valuation Advisory offers industry-first virtual site tours

CHICAGO, May 21, 2020 – As part of an effort to meet client demand, improve business continuity and promote safety for our team members and building occupants due to COVID-19, JLL Valuation Advisory today unveiled its industry-first capability to perform virtual property tours. This digital alternative to in-person property tours allows full interior inspections to be completed accurately, securely and safely, all from a mobile device. 

“The appraisal industry has historically been reliant on in-person site visits, which in some cases are no longer preferred given social distancing guidelines,” said Paul Fomenky, Head of Data Science for JLL Valuation Advisory. “We were driven to innovate by our need and desire to provide a safe and reliable alternative to in-person interior site visits. This is a particularly powerful tool for residential properties including multi-housing and senior living assets, which include some of our more vulnerable populations, and allows us to still deliver for our clients at no additional cost.”

The virtual site visits are performed using customized open-source, mobile applications that allow a JLL licensed, certified appraiser to virtually walk through the interior of a building via live video, and develop a detailed understanding of the property with open communication with the property contact. 

Recognizing the need for privacy and security, all virtual walkthroughs are fully encrypted using industry-leading TLS 1.2 with AES 128 encryption.

“The confidentiality and security of these virtual tours are paramount, and we are taking extraordinary steps to ensure that all of the information produced as a result of a virtual tour is encrypted and only accessible to the client in contrast to using virtual meeting equipment that does not,” said Fomenky. “This solution is yet another way JLL continues to innovate and deliver on our promise to the client.”

JLL’s Valuation Advisory platform leverages the firm’s global experience and deep knowledge of local real estate markets to provide industry-leading valuation, market analytics and advisory services to a wide range of clients. We offer the highest quality market insights and property valuations to help our clients make optimal business decisions and manage risk. JLL Valuation Advisory is comprised of over 1,700 valuation professionals and 149 offices globally. For more news, videos and research resources on JLL, please visit the firm’s U.S. newsroom.