It’s no secret that the global pandemic has changed the way buyers search for homes in the real estate market. Not only have buyers shifted the priorities in their home search criteria, but they have shifted towards viewing homes online and even buying them sight-unseen. In the last year at the Meyer Lucas Team, we’ve represented over two dozen buyers who have purchased a home they have NEVER seen in person — only virtually — before buying it.
If you are looking for all the tips & tricks when it comes to looking at homes virtually, you’ve come to the right place! Holly Meyer Lucas has four recommendations for virtually touring homes like a pro.
1. Don’t Rely on Cell Service
Don’t rely on your real estate agent’s wifi or cell service to facetime you while at a property. Instead, have the agent get videos that they can send you once they have a strong signal. This way, you can be sure to see every part of the home and you can rewatch the videos later on when discussing the property.
2. Be skeptical about listing marketing material
Don’t rely on the listing marketing material for real information — a lot of marketing material is staged and edited in a way that isn’t representative of the actual space. Have your agent verify the details of the home with the listing agent and through their own walk-throughs.
Google Street View is Your Best Friend.
Use Google Street View to see the outside of a building or street.
Instagram is more helpful than you think.
Search the location on Instagram and look at pictures that have been tagged with that location, building, neighborhood, or community to see what real-life photos look like.
3. Use Yelp
Read the Yelp reviews from surrounding grocery stores, restaurants, and cafes to get a feel for the quality of the stores in the surrounding area.
4) Believe it or not - Google the address
If you google the address - you can turn up a lot of information - like old listings of the property with older photos. Sometimes those photos are more honest or will reveal something more than the current ones.
For more tips & tricks about touring homes virtually,
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