How PropTech and Digital Solutions are Transforming Modern Living

In an email interaction with Jaipriya, Assistant Editor at Homes India Magazine, Prasun Kumar, Chief Marketing Officer at Magicbricks, shares his valuable insights on how PropTech and digital solutions are transforming modern living spaces.  

Prasun Kumar serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Magicbricks, where he oversees the company’s marketing, research, and editorial functions. In addition to his CMO role, Prasun also leads strategic revenue verticals, leveraging his expertise to drive growth and innovation for the leading real estate portal.

How is PropTech evolving currently to influence the functionality and design of Indian homes?

Technology is everywhere. Every aspect of our lives is deeply touched by technology. There’s no escaping from technology today. Since the pandemic, we have made significant progress, advancing rapidly in the field of digital technologies. This transformation has impacted every sector and every industry, including real estate. Here are a few ways in which technology is changing the way we live.

PropTech is significantly influencing the functionality and design of Indian homes through a number of key trends. Smart home technology, powered by the Internet of Things (IoT), is enhancing security, convenience, and energy efficiency by allowing remote control of devices like thermostats, lighting, and cameras.

This leads to cost savings and a reduced environmental impact. Furthermore, immersive technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are transforming the home-buying experience, enabling prospective buyers to take virtual home tours, visual property tours, and visualize properties without needing to be physically present.

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This is especially useful for under-construction projects and buyers who are not in the same city. Additionally, PropTech is leveraging AI and data analytics to provide personalized AI-driven property recommendations and market insights, helping both buyers and developers make informed decisions. It is also contributing to the adoption of sustainable and green building practices by focusing on energy-efficient designs and eco-friendly materials. Finally, the use of digital platforms, blockchain, and e-signatures is increasing transparency and streamlining the entire real estate transaction process, making it more efficient and secure.

Through Magicbricks’ design visualization tools and AR/VR-enabled property tours, customers can explore how a home will look, virtually place interiors, and test functional setups before committing. This consumer-led functionality, powered by data and immersive technology, ensures that homes are designed not as static units but as adaptive spaces that truly reflect evolving family needs.

Throw some light on the key digital innovations that are making smart homes more affordable and accessible to Indian homebuyers.

Digital innovations are significantly increasing the affordability and accessibility of smart homes for Indian homebuyers. The proliferation of low-cost, "Made in India" devices and competition among tech providers have made smart home technology more budget-friendly. Smart home technology offers tangible financial benefits, with features like smart thermostats and lighting systems optimizing energy consumption and leading to substantial savings on utility bills over time.

The widespread adoption of voice assistants has also simplified the user experience, providing an intuitive, centralized control system for various devices. Ultimately, these digital advancements are transforming smart homes from a luxury good into a practical and cost-effective investment for a broader segment of the Indian population.

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For us at Magicbricks, one of the most interesting trends is how IoT-enabled features are no longer restricted to luxury projects. Developers are embedding essentials like app-based security, lighting, and energy monitoring into mid-market housing, and we’re seeing significant consumer traction for these listings on our platform. On our end, tools like Smart Search and AI-driven recommendations allow customers to filter and identify projects offering these smart features within their budget.

Additionally, our partnerships on the financing side are enabling buyers to explore EMI calculators, mortgage solutions, and even renovation or interior loans directly through the Magicbricks ecosystem.

Which emerging technologies hold the biggest potential to redefine the real estate and home living experience? Why?

Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) hold the biggest potential to redefine the real estate and home living experience. AI and machine learning can create personalized living experiences by learning a user's habits to control lights and appliances automatically, and enhance security with facial recognition and motion detection.

AI-driven platforms can also provide personalized property searches and recommendations, helping buyers make more informed decisions by processing vast data sets on market trends and consumer behavior. IoT enables homes to become smarter and more efficient through connected devices that can monitor energy usage and automate systems, leading to reduced utility costs. Lastly, VR/AR technologies are revolutionizing property tours and marketing, allowing potential buyers to explore properties from anywhere with 360-degree views and visualize decor in empty spaces.

How are digital platforms empowering homeowners to make more informed decisions during interior planning and property searches?

Digital platforms are empowering homeowners by providing a wealth of data and tools that enhance transparency and aid decision-making. For property searches, these platforms offer verified listings, which may include RERA-compliant details, builder history, and project status. They also provide sophisticated search filters, price heat maps, and historical price trend data, enabling buyers to compare properties and assess market values effectively.

Magicbricks has also expanded its offerings to include services for home interiors and provides developers with digital and content tools for visualization, such as Convrse AI, which uses augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). For interior planning, platforms allow users to explore design trends through comprehensive visuals and videos of property listings.

What challenges do Indian developers and consumers face in leveraging PropTech-enabled smart homes, and how are these challenges being addressed?

Awareness and integration remain the biggest challenges. Many consumers still associate smart homes with high costs or worry about privacy, while developers often struggle with retrofitting older properties. At Magicbricks, we’ve tried to address these gaps by enabling filters for smart-enabled projects on our platform and by creating educational content, blogs, and trend reports that demystify the benefits of smart living for consumers. Developers are also working closely with us to highlight their smart features in ways that resonate with buyers. Our data shows that listings that clearly communicate their technology and energy efficiency benefits receive significantly higher engagement.

How are the current PropTech solutions of Magicbricks helping to simplify the home-buying experience, and do you have any upcoming plans or innovations that transform modern living spaces?

Magicbricks has transformed from a simple search and discovery platform into a comprehensive, end-to-end service provider, offering a wide range of products and services. As the largest aggregator of demand and supply, its primary strength is a comprehensive suite of products to meet consumers' and clients' needs. It simplifies the experience with tools like PropWorth, a property evaluation tool that helps consumers determine a fair price and negotiate effectively. Magicbricks also offers Magic Loans for home loan options and provides interior design services.

For industry partners, Magicbricks provides digital and content tools, including a suite of SaaS and CRM products for the broker community, such as the Readpro CRM tool. For developers, they provide tools to engage with buyers, including Convrse AI, which uses AR/VR for digital visualization. Magicbricks' upcoming plans include a focus on personalization, immersive technology, and greater transparency. They are actively investing in advanced technology to deliver greater convenience, clarity, and confidence to their platform.

Key products at the forefront of this effort are Convrse AI, an immersive technology product specializing in 3D, virtual reality, and metaverse solutions to provide highly personalized property recommendations, and Launch Maximizer, a comprehensive solution for real estate developers to create maximum buzz and lead generation from the start of a project.

What future trends do you forecast in PropTech and digital solutions shaping the way Indians live and interact with their homes over the next 5 to 10 years?

We believe the next decade will see the normalization of smart living ecosystems in India. Homes will increasingly become IoT-enabled, AI-managed, and sustainability-driven. At Magicbricks, we see our role as the enabler of this shift, making sure that consumers have the tools to discover such homes, evaluate them financially, and visualize how they’ll fit into their lifestyle.

We also see AR/VR and digital twins as game changers. These technologies will allow customers to constantly reinvent their spaces, test new ideas virtually, and adapt homes as their needs evolve. In short, homes will no longer be static assets. They will be intelligent, responsive ecosystems, and our mission at Magicbricks is to make these innovations accessible and impactful for millions of Indian families.