Fewer Listings, Limited Showings
Do you have an inventory shortage in your market? If so, you already know a sellers’ market makes life harder for buyers’ agents and buyers. Your buyers need eyes on new listings quickly so they can have an opportunity to make an offer. Time is very much of the essence.
If you have covid restrictions, multiple groups of buyers simultaneously in a home isn’t necessarily safe, or allowed. And there are a finite number of showings that can take place over the course of a weekend. Getting into the home in time to write an offer can be challenging when a contract is accepted within hours.
Rewatch the Showing to Review Features
By necessity, agents nationwide now harness technology in ways they never did before to accomplish business. Virtual showings were once just a ‘nice-to-have’ for out of town buyers. Now, they are part of everyday life in a busy market.
“My clients like to use the video recordings of their virtual showings to re-visit the home after the showing is over. They appreciate being able to review the different rooms and features of the house again. This works much better than using apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp, which always cut out and are blurry,” said Lauren Goché of Think Real Estate in Portland, Oregon.
Listings Are Under Contract in Hours
While originally used as a tool for out of town buyers of vacation homes or relocation clients, virtual showings are now by buyers with time or health constraints. And with the market showing no signs of slowing down, agents are getting creative with virtual showings to make sure clients don’t lose out on homes they might want to buy.
Nicole Nicolay, a Realtor with Compass in Livermore, California, is in the middle of a booming real estate market. “Our clients aren’t always available to go visit a home in person as soon as it hits the market. Since our market is so hot now, we can use virtual showings so our buyers can make a confident offer before it goes under contract with someone else.”
The real estate industry is working as a whole to provide a frictionless customer journey. Streamlining and simplifying the showing experience can be a fantastic next step for agents.
We created the HomeRover virtual showing app to reproduce the on-site showing experience for buyers and their agents. You can use it for free with your clients by downloading the app here.