Real Estate Transitions to Virtual Showings Amid Covid-19
Social distancing practices, along with the interim shutdown of businesses to ensure public safety, is molding the way Real Estate agents are showcasing homes. Adjusting to more virtual-based tools, Mansion Global claims FaceTime tours, Instagram Live Q&As and 3-D virtual tours are slowly becoming the new option in order to still cater and draw in potential buyers at home.
Although this isn’t a particularly new conception, agents can personalize the videos and calls from buyers. In an interview with Mansion Global, Houston-based Compass agent Marnie Greenwood said:
“I have builders' homes that are specs and are vacant, I’ll get on WhatsApp with a family, so I’m going around and showing them the house and they can ask in real time, ‘go back to the master closet.’ Or if one of the family members isn’t there, I save the video and send it so they can watch and follow up with questions later.”
Even in an interview with the Real Deal, Douglas Elliman’s John Gomes says,
“to cut down on initial visits that prove pointless, a first, in-person showing may be replaced by a virtual one. We’re scratching the surface with these videos we’re trying to put together at the last minute. When we come out of this, we’re going to be doing a lot of digital, virtual-type showings.
Health and the safety for ourselves and others outweighs all else, but even so, accessibility is vital as some sellers and buyers are unable to wait for the pandemic to ease to find a new home. PropTech Consulting, for example, is offering a virtual tour of 200 East 21st Street, Residence 17B. You can look through the 3-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom contemporary-designed space, with open windows for tons of natural lighting and get a glimpse of the view- all while social distancing at home.
image source: streeteasy.com