Between the current real estate market and families moving across the country to Huntsville, many households are relying on their real estate agents to conduct a live video house tour for them. This has led many families to purchase their home sight unseen, meaning that homeowners are putting an offer down or even closing on a home before they have seen it in person.
What Is a Virtual House Tour?
When a client may not be able to see a property in person a real estate agent can conduct a one-on-one virtual tour with a client to view the home over their laptop, phone or TV. The virtual house tour should be led by an experienced real estate professional who has shown multiple homes and has an eye for potential problems.
A Homebuyers Guide to Virtual Home Tours
Work with a tenured real estate professional you can trust
Working with an experienced agent that is looking out for your needs is crucial for a seamless virtual home tour. An experienced agent will be able to do more than just show you around the home; they will be able to point out things that you wouldn’t see through the screen such as smells & noise, what the neighborhood looks like, and really look at the condition of the cabinets, doors, floors, and windows. In addition, working with a real estate agent that is familiar with the area will help guide you in the right direction on which neighborhoods will be best for you to live based on your current household needs.
Be specific
To set yourself up for success, understanding exactly what you want in a home are important indicators for your real estate agent if you will like a property before viewing it. Providing pictures and including details about what you like in your current home or don’t like will enable your real estate agent to understand your style to find you a home worth viewing.
Be prepared
After your agent finds a home that catches your attention make sure to study all the details of the home. Carefully look through the pictures and listing details to ensure it captures what you are looking for in your next home.
Once you decide to have a virtual tour your agent should discuss and provide details for how the virtual tour will be conducted; whether that is using Zoom, Facetime, Skype or what works best for you. We recommend that you use a larger screen to view the virtual tour for better visuals and that you ask your real estate agent to bring a tape measure in case you would like to know the dimensions of a space.
Before starting the virtual tour ensure you are in a quiet space without distractions so you are fully prepared to view the home just as if you were there.
Ask questions
Don’t be afraid to ask questions just like you were there in the home with the real estate agent. Since you are not there in person, asking questions is more important than ever. If you want to go see a room again or want to look at something further in depth, your agent is there to assist you in viewing the home just as if you were there. They will point out a lot of items you may be wanting to ask, but make sure to have your questions answered so you feel comfortable with possibly putting an offer on the home.
Trust your agent
Buying a home, especially sight unseen, can be nerve-racking but using a local real estate professional you trust will create a smooth home buying experience. Our team is the longest tenured, meticulous about details and has successfully relocated hundreds of families to and from Northern Alabama. We have multiple real estate agents here at Amanda Howard Sotheby’s International Realty that have helped many families relocate into a sight unseen home that was better than their expectations. We spoke with one of our agents, Jen Lockwood, who has led many sight unseen transactions for her clients. She stated, “the most important part of this kind of transaction is communication.” ‘Pointing out every detail during the virtual walkthrough is crucial to gain the client’s trust and ensure they are making the best decision for themselves,” Lockwood concluded.
Here at Amanda Howard Sotheby’s International Realty we go above and beyond to find solutions for our clients that are relocating to Northern Alabama. We provide clients with the highest level of service and care every step of the way as we believe that luxury is a service, not a price point. Our company understands the difficulties of moving to a new city and want to ensure that finding a new home is seamless.
If you are looking to relocate or find a new home, trust in us to serve as your Huntsville area experts. We have the resources and people to guide you through the home buying or selling process. Check out our Rocket City Life Relocation Guide today to find out more!
