Mortgage Lender Entices Client With a 3D Printed Home Model

Christiane Fimpel, Owner / Idea Accelerator, 3D-MODEL AG

When I purchased my first home, I remember the excitement that the whole process provided. From looking online for the homes that I thought would be best suited for me and my family, to actually going to see each home firsthand, each and every step of the way brought a little more excitement. That is, until I reached the point where I needed to find and apply for a mortgage. I went to several banks, in order to try and seek out the deal that was best for our family in the long run. I wanted to ensure that the terms were favorable and that the interest rate was a fair one. In the end, all three banks I went to pretty much provided the identical terms and interest rates, thus my decision really came down to which bank I felt most comfortable dealing with. In the end I went with the bank that my family had already been using for a couple years, simply because I was familiar with the management and the bank’s location.

For one client, who was looking to fund the purchase of a new home, the mortgage shopping experience was quite a bit more exciting than mine. The Swiss Bank Zürcher Kantonalbank decided to make the typical experience of merely sitting down with a mortgage broker to sign papers and provide financial details, one that was quite different.

With help from 3D-MODEL AG, the bank took a blueprint of the client’s home, turned it into a 3D model and then 3D printed that model on a 3D Systems ProJet 660 Pro 3D printer. As far as we know, this makes Zürcher Kantonalbank the first bank in the world to utilize 3D printing to print out a model of a potential client’s home.

“Fulfilling the lifelong dream of owning a home is a very emotional moment,” says initiator Atahan Tosun, Head of Segment Management at Zürcher Kantonalbank’s Private Banking. “As our motto is ‘Close to You,’ sharing in the excitement of such a moment with our clients is particularly important to us, especially with the surprise and joy of the concept.”

Without a doubt, if I was provided with a 3D model of my home by one of the three banks I had applied for a mortgage through, I would have selected the one that spent the time arranging for such an incredible project. If they are going to go out of their way to provide a client with such a wonderful gift, I can only imagine what they would do if I had a problem at some point. As expected, this client was also quite happy with this tremendous gift.

“Now that I have a library of my own, I look forward to displaying my home model there,” explained the client. “I find it both fascinating and beautiful, and am rather proud to have it. I’m also impressed with the creativity of the idea and how perfectly it was designed and realized.”

Zürcher Kantonalbank has not said if they plan on doing more of these models for future clients or not, but they will definitely be considering the use of 3D printing for projects like this one or for other interesting things.

What do you think about this 3D printed home model printed by Zürcher Kantonalbank with help from 3D-MODEL AG?  Would this have been a welcomed sight when you applied for your mortgage? Discuss in the 3D Printed Home Model forum thread on 3DPB.com.