Condos sales are gathering more than a second look in today's marketplace. They're getting a Second Life.

While traditional marketing reigns supreme - show suites, direct mail and other promotional campaigns such as Inter-net sites - condominium developers are getting the chance to have buyers boldly go where they have rarely gone before: Into the world of virtual reality.

Imagine using an avatar - an Internet representation of yourself - to walk through a virtual version of the new condo as if you were there, even though construction of the development has yet to begin.

Or consider the possibilities of customizing the unit by changing the flooring, appliance or countertop options through the click of a button.

But while it may sound more like science fiction, it's now a fact.

Vancouver-based Global Condo Centre Corp. is em-bracing the future and taking condominium marketing to the next level by opening a micro-sales centre in Second Life, an online society within a three-dimensional world that allows users to build, socialize and participate in their own economy.

"The development of virtual worlds opens up another exciting avenue - one where buyers can actually walk the floor, change the design and experience the property as if they were actually there," says Cliff Bowman, president of Global Condo Centre, which offers a variety of online and in-person ways people can research and buy their next urban or resort condo.

"Bringing Global Condo Centre to Second Life provides us with a new and innovative platform to reach prospective buyers and the millions of Second Life residents."

Currently, the new micro-sales site on Second Life in-cludes a cross-section of developments that Global Condo Centre has for sale, with about 40 projects highlighted. While the initial offerings don't take advantage of many of the technological features Second Life allows, the goal was to get the site up and running.

"I had to build it rather than just show them sketches and say: 'This is going to happen,' " says Bowman.

There are more than 11 million globally registered users of Second Life, presenting Bow-man and property developers a direct pipeline to a generally younger audience who are virtually savvy and may be more open to virtual marketing approaches, as opposed to conventional marketing methods.

Global Condo Centre already markets condo properties around the world through its condo centre website in a variety of language options as well as storefront locations in Van-couver and Calgary that each showcase 25 properties. But it has no intention of abandoning traditional marketing.

"I feel, if we're going to target a certain developer, it (Second Life) is almost like a specialty magazine providing 10 million people. It's another way to look at the developer's offering, another conduit," says Bowman, a 25-year veteran of pre-selling new condo developments and pre-leasing major office towers.

Jon Zwickel, executive vice-president of Calgary-based Bellstar Resorts and Hotels, which develops condominium hotels, is intrigued by the prospect.

"In order to be a successful marketer, we have to look for marketing initiatives that allow us to stand out in a very crowded field and certainly Second Life would be a way to do that," says Zwickel, who has worked with Bowman indirectly on various projects.

"If you look at the demographic of the typical real estate purchaser, whether the real estate is recreational or residential, the purchasers are becoming much more tech-savvy and in tune with forward-thinking marketing methods like Cliff has come up with."

Such marketing is appealing, as it allows prospective buyers to walk through a virtual development, he adds.

"It has the potential to be very tactile and interactive to the purchaser," says Zwickel.

Global Condo Centre vice-president Scott Keller says the Second Life world has the advantage over manipulating cursors to move through a pre-existing video.

"The suite tours are in real time," he says. "If I want to stand in the kitchen and change the floors, I can do that. Then I can stop and change it back, whereas if I'm doing that on a website, I'm watching a movie. I can start it and stop it, but I don't have any real control over it."

Major corporations such as Telus, AOL, IBM, Sony BMG, Starwood Hotels and Toyota have established a presence in the popular online world.

Second Life offers established industries a new way to interact with customers, partners and co-workers, adds Catherine Smith, director of brand strategy at Linden Lab.

The San Francisco company, which started up in 1999, created and runs the Second Life Grid, or development platform that allows a shared 3D experience.

"For companies addressing a global market, it allows them to reach an international audience in an immersive way, not possible on the traditional web," Smith said in a press release.

"In the real estate sector, for instance, Second Life enables prototyping of resorts, condos, houses and apartments so buyers can see what they are purchasing without visiting the property, or before it's even built. Design changes can be explored and décor selections considered."

Meanwhile, technological advances will soon improve Second Life's visuals, says Keller, as the virtual world is expected to unveil upgrades in the next six months.

The next generation of viewer software will mean more photo-realistic images as opposed to the current look, which has more of a cartoon or video game feel to it.

"It's hard to be a pioneer but it will be looking better and better," says Keller.

Get a Second Life

* Global Condo Center's virtual destination on Second Life, developed with Clear Ink and Code 4 Software, was designed to create an immersive and interactive experience for prospective buyers. In the urban and resort Condo Centre on Global Condo Centre Island, buyers can view information detailing real-world properties, some with interactive floorplans and design options.

* To view urban and resort Global Condo Centre properties on Second Life, users will need to visit www.globalcondocenter.com and click on the teleport to Second Life button. From there, users will be directed to Second Life's Orientation Island where they will create an avatar to access Global Condo Centre Island and its micro-sales centres.

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)