For decades, the commercial real estate services industry has relied on a fragmented model, with enterprises assembling networks of local specialists to serve national portfolios. Basm Mohsen, founder and CEO of VIRTUALSPACE.xyz, argues that this approach is reaching its limits as companies confront the operational headaches of managing a patchwork of vendors.
“Companies have a difficult time finding partners that can operate at a national level,” Mohsen says. “It’s easy to find a local provider, but not easy to find a company that can be a one-stop shop and does it all.”
The challenge becomes clear when national restaurant chains or major retailers need to document hundreds or thousands of locations quickly. Managing 30 or 40 local vendors means dealing with as many billing systems, payment terms, quality standards, and communication protocols. What appears efficient on paper often becomes a logistical burden that undermines the intended benefits of outsourcing.
Why Local Specialists Fall Short for Enterprise Projects
The 3D capture and spatial documentation market has long favored individual practitioners, many with photography backgrounds who added 3D scanning to their services. According to Mohsen, most Matterport service providers are solo operators who purchased scanning equipment as an add-on rather than building a business to handle national-scale projects.
These providers excel at one-off local jobs but lack the systems to coordinate work across multiple states. Without standardized processes, output quality varies from technician to technician. They rarely offer platforms that let clients track projects, deliverables, and billing across all locations in real time.
For enterprise clients, these gaps multiply. Data arrives in inconsistent formats, quality varies by location, and response times vary by vendor. Invoices follow different terms and schedules, and there is no central dashboard to show portfolio-wide project status. These inconsistencies create administrative bottlenecks and make it difficult to analyze results at scale.
Building for National Scale
Solving this fragmentation requires infrastructure that goes well beyond the core service. Mohsen says VIRTUALSPACE approached the problem differently by building a distributed network of technicians across the US and Canada and investing in proprietary software to coordinate national projects.
VIRTUALSPACE’s platform acts as the operational hub for its technician network. Each technician logs in to access project details, including authorization letters, floor plans, and client-specific instructions. This ensures that when they arrive on-site, they know exactly what to capture and how to deliver the data.
“We built a platform that allows clients to log in, view all their scans and invoices, manage hosting, and see all their projects in one place,” Mohsen explains.
This unified system radically shortens project timelines and reduces errors. Mohsen points to a recent project where VIRTUALSPACE documented about 1,000 retail locations in 60 days—a pace that would be nearly impossible with dozens of independent vendors operating without centralized coordination.
Standardized procedures and equipment ensure every technician delivers data in the same format, providing clients with consistent information across their portfolio. This consistency is essential for enterprise clients who need reliable portfolio-wide analysis to support strategic decisions.
Market Implications
The rise of unified service platforms is changing how the commercial real estate services market operates. Companies built on individual relationships and local knowledge are losing ground when competing for national enterprise contracts, Mohsen says.
“Most of our work comes from enterprise clients across the US and Canada,” he explains, underscoring where demand has shifted.
The advantages of scale-oriented providers extend beyond efficiency. VIRTUALSPACE’s pricing starts at $360 for spaces up to 3,000 square feet — often below what enterprises expect and frequently less than local specialists can offer, while remaining profitable on small jobs. This pricing, combined with streamlined project management, appeals to companies seeking predictable costs and delivery.
VIRTUALSPACE is also expanding its capabilities beyond core 3D capture. New offerings include Navis systems for high-accuracy needs and drone capture for exterior documentation. Mohsen notes that an upcoming website revamp will serve as a true client platform, enabling instant quotes and online ordering, rather than a static marketing site.
Looking Ahead
It remains uncertain whether the market will consolidate around a few national platforms or if regional specialists will build their own coordination infrastructure to compete. However, enterprise clients are sending a clear message: they want a single vendor, one platform, and a consistent experience across their entire portfolio.
Companies are no longer willing to juggle dozens of vendors for national projects. The costs of fragmentation — lost time, inconsistent data, and administrative complexity — now outweigh the benefits of local expertise. As major retailers and restaurant chains push for rapid, standardized project delivery, unified platforms are increasingly setting the standard for enterprise service.
For service providers, the message is clear. The future of commercial real estate services will be defined less by local relationships and more by the ability to deliver coordinated, scalable solutions that meet enterprise expectations for speed, consistency, and simplicity. Sellers who cannot provide this level of integration may find themselves left behind as the market continues to reward those who can.
