Selling without a physical sales centre: a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary’s bet

When a small builder bets on selling without a sales centre, it is an anecdote. When a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary does it, it is a signal about where the market is going.

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Who is doing it

BIMaire is part of Clayton Homes, a Berkshire Hathaway group company. According to Unreal Engine’s feature on the sector, they are offering virtual sales based on pixel streaming, the project runs on a server and the buyer receives interactive video, with an explicit goal: to remove entirely the need for in-person visits and physical sales centres.

There is a second detail that is easy to miss and is the most interesting commercially: the platform lets ten builders coexist under one digital roof. Instead of one virtual room per project, there is shared infrastructure.

The benefit is not only commercial

What BIMaire reports does not stop at selling more. By removing uncertainty about what is being bought, they say approvals speed up, stakeholders align faster and engineering teams see the value immediately.

That describes a change in nature. The virtual sales room stops being a sales department tool and becomes the way everyone (sales, engineering, partners, whoever approves) looks at the same project.

The arithmetic in Colombia

Here the argument stands on its own. According to Camacol's president, more than 70% of new-home purchases in the country are made off-plan. For months, the only thing the buyer can see is whatever you show them.

And the physical sales centre costs money, the show apartment even more: it is built, furnished, maintained and finally dismantled. It is a large investment that only serves buyers who can get there, during office hours, in that city.

We are not saying close the sales centre. We are saying that if seven in ten of your sales happen off-plan, it is worth asking how much of that investment is doing work a model does just as well or better, around the clock, from any city.

We compare it with numbers in show apartment versus virtual sales room, and what we build is described in the virtual sales room.

What you need to sell without a physical sales room

• A complete model of the project, with the surroundings, the real view from each floor and the specified finishes.
• Access by link, so buyers can open it on their phone with nothing to install. With pixel streaming, even the heaviest model works this way.
• Appointments by video call, with an advisor who walks through the project with the buyer and answers questions live.
• Sales information online: availability, prices per unit and payment options, always up to date.
• A remote reservation process, with documents signed without traveling and payments through authorized channels.
• A small physical point, if needed, to see material samples and sign. It doesn't have to be a full sales room.

When a physical sales room still makes sense

In some cases the physical room still adds value: high-end projects where buyers want to touch the materials, very local markets where the room also works as a sign on the street, or launches with heavy foot traffic. Even then, the most efficient option is usually a smaller room with the model on screen, what we call a hybrid sales room. We compare the three options in the sales room guide.

There are already cases in Colombia. Grupo Koi presented its Kronus project in Bucaramanga 100% virtually, with no model apartment, and closed deals with buyers from other cities and countries. Its manager tells the story here.

Frequently asked questions

Can you sell a real estate project without a physical sales room?

Yes. With a complete 3D model, access by link, video call appointments and a remote reservation process, some projects sell with no physical room. In Colombia, Grupo Koi presented its Kronus project 100% virtually.

What replaces the model apartment?

A 3D tour of the apartment with the real finishes and the view from each floor. It shows every unit type, updates if the project changes and reaches buyers in any city.

When should you keep a physical sales room?

In high-end projects where buyers want to touch the materials, in local markets where the room works as a sign, or during launches with lots of visitors. Even then, it can be smaller if it relies on the virtual model.

What is BIMaire?

It's a Clayton Homes company, part of Berkshire Hathaway, that offers virtual sales with pixel streaming with the goal of eliminating in-person visits and physical sales centers. Its platform brings ten builders together in a single digital space.

Sources

Unreal Engine — Long live the decision engine: how UE is powering the future of home building (February 2026) · Semana: Camacol on off-plan purchases (May 2026, in Spanish)