April 13, 2020
As a real estate team, we are adapting to this new “on pause” world as fast as we can – on a daily and sometimes hourly basis. Our number one priority has become finding ways to get our clients closed and moved safely, and as close to on schedule as humanly possible.
We are also marketing and showing homes for those sellers who do NOT have a buyer in place and have already committed to their move. Of course, there are buyers who want or need a home for the same reasons they always have.
With the number of people and challenges involved in this process, it’s a struggle. We have had to get creative – and that’s a good thing. As a result, we’ve been embracing technology and conducting “virtual” walk-through’s and open houses.
My question is this: We’re going to emerge from this “stay at home” era with a new normal, and what that looks like is anybody’s guess. But if we could show houses the same way we did one month ago, would we go back to doing it that way? Or rather, if we could still hold a virtual open house, where people could direct someone through the home with a camera while they remain, literally, in their own home, would we still do it? Would there be value in it? Would it help to market the home? Would it be a benefit to the seller? The buyer?
We think the answer is YES – on all counts.
Just as still photos and virtual tours have helped educate buyers about their options, so virtual touring and virtual open house attendance will aid in their search. Buyers buy by process of elimination, not by process of selection. In other words, you have to see enough homes to know when you’ve found the right one. The virtual home walk-through will help buyers see more options and eliminate homes from their search, so they can focus their in-home visits on those they are truly interested in.
For sellers, it is another way to easily and effectively market their home to far more people than could possibly see it in person. It would also cut down on the number of people that walk through a home, making the process less stressful for the seller.
Ultimately, embracing technology will save everyone – consumer and agents alike – the most precious commodity of all: Time.
#virtualopenhouse #househunters
