The virtual world of real estate by ANNETTE JOYCE Until about a year ago, the residential real estate market was humming along as usual. Buyers searched the internet and perused photos looking for the homes they wanted to see and then scheduled an appointment to visit the property in person. Sellers willingly allowed potential buyers and their Realtors into their homes. Open houses occurred every weekend. Then COVID hit and everything changed overnight, leaving sellers, buyers, Realtors and builders struggling for ways to safely connect with each other. Fortunately, a tool was already in place to bring the market back to life – the virtual tour.
Virtual tours allow buyers to do a virtual walk-through of homes and narrow down the list of those they’re interested in before hitting the road to visit them in person.
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Even as pandemic restrictions have loosened, the high demand for houses has brought builders more presales. As a result, there are no homes for potential clients to see. Fortunately, the virtual tour gives builders a perfect way to showcase their work. “We think the virtual tours are awesome. When you have a good photographer, it’s a really powerful tool,” said Mitch Bullins, project coordinator for Ray Bullins Construction Co.
Photo courtesy of Ray Bullins Construction Co.
Providing a remote, video-enabled walk-through, a virtual tour allows buyers to see the property while giving them the sensation of actually being
without being there in person.
properties, virtual tours were around before the pandemic, but they became extremely important as people sought ways to both show and see properties
Bullins said in the last few years his company has seen an increase in clients from California and New York. Many of these people are making their decisions – or at least narrowing their choices – based on virtual tours rather than investing time and money for long-distance travel to see them in person. For buyers, it means faster access to homes that are often receiving multiple offers. Bullins pointed out that for area
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