Time to fess up - I'm a complete Luddite. This newfangled technology is fine and dandy in the workplace but I don't want to play with it at home, not when I could be reading a good book.

My mobile phone was state of the art about 2002 and I thought Snapchat's Reggie Brown was a soul singer.

So when an invitation to test some virtual reality appeared in my inbox, it seemed I was being nudged into getting down with the kids - or whatever they say these days.

Cumbrian Homes has launched the technology at its latest development, Carleton Manor Park in Penrith, where visitors can try it out in the reception office.

They're all amazed by it, apparently - those that don't get motion sickness, that is. Could I be converted to this fancy-pants phenomenon?

A smartphone with the virtual reality (VR) tour uploaded on it is slotted into a huge monogoggle placed on my head and it's showtime.

The first thing that strikes me is how clear and bright the images filling my vision are. I'm immediately in a different place, with no other stimuli to distract.

Although - obviously - I don't know what to expect, or how this new world will unfold in front of me, the system is incredibly easy to use.

Hotspots have been created around the virtual devlopment and the user just looks at the number relating to the hotspot – for example, number 6 for apartments, number 2 for houses.

The technology recognises that you want to look at this in more detail and the next thing you know you’re gliding into the building.

I find myself inside one of the homes, walking up and down the stairs, looking along corridors and into bedrooms, all accomplished with a turn of the head.

It's pretty impressive but feels strange and I don’t want to spend that long with the goggles on. In fact, I can't wait to get them off.

No doubt people used to computer games and other VR applications will have no problem with it but it doesn't float my boat.

Cumbrian Homes' commercial manager Scott Edwards says the 360° computer-generated tour allows the buyer to see what the site will look like once complete, taking away the guesswork.

“I don’t know of any other developer in Cumbria offering this. There's a bit of it going on in London but other than that, not a lot. So we’re not the first in the UK but we’re certainly among the first.”

He thinks this virtual reality tour is a move away from traditional methods of viewing houses, such as online or with printed brochures in an estate agent's office.

“We definitely see it as a swing away from physical media and it’s not just pictures on websites, it’s a first viewing on a house.”

The VR tour was created by software designer James Bullimore, based in Skirwirth, near Penrith. He designed 3D models of all the house types on the development and then textured them in stone or brick.

"I’ve even made the whole site based on topography so users will get the feeling of the fall of the land, the undulations and contours, which is really quite special in CGI and housing terms.

“The difference with this is that you might see a lot of 360 VR photographs or video tours but because this is all CGI, there’s something quite magical about it."

My verdict? It’s certainly an interesting and unusual way of looking for a new home but is Cumbria ready for it? I didn't feel the magic - but at least I didn't feel sick.

Jo Blakemore is property content editor for the CN Group.