Why Virtual Home Buyers Should Use an Agent

Why Virtual Home Buyers Should Use an Agent

Virtual home buying has risen with quarantines that have taken place worldwide. The real estate market has made it appealing for sellers to sell at the price they want and for buyers to save money each month on mortgage payments. But despite the opportunity for both buyers and sellers, and the ease of digitized real estate, lockdowns have crippled many from continuing with their home search.

Why search for a home when you can’t see the home?

Online tools for virtual walkthroughs, budgeting, finance, and a plethora of other resources streamline the process of online shopping. It’s not as common to tour a property through an app on your smartphone, or to use a virtual real estate company like e-Homes, than it is to tour a house in person. Sometimes, some people just need to know what’s available to them.

That’s where an agent comes in.

What an Agent Does for you

They do the research, know the local pricing, handle purchase agreements. They make your life easier. And they keep your information private.

Agents know what to look for and how to handle it. If the house is damaged, infested with pests, or riddled with a plethora of issues a buyer wouldn’t normally account for, an agent can spot those problems and save buyers thousands of dollars.

Their services come tailored with a fiduciary responsibility to their client, to maintain the privacy of their financial information, and to provide them with the knowledge of what information is needed when shopping for a home. A good agent educates the buyer. They know how to use digital tools and they take proactive steps to stay engaged with the client .

Because if you’re shopping on the web, you’ll need someone you can trust to guide you through the process. It’s easy to pull out your phone to solve a problem. From the perspective of an online real estate company, new customers are virtual. More people search from their phones than a computer or tablet. When they shop online, they use tools to simplify their experience. And they use resources they trust.

Online Resources

One way to tour a home online is through the use of 3D walkthroughs. If done correctly, this gives buyers an easily accessible, 360-degree walkthrough of the interior, that effectuates on desktop, tablet, or mobile. Apps like Matterport make walkthroughs feasible through a buyer’s smartphone.

Virtual staging tools allow users or sellers to decorate their home with furniture, or color the interior with paint. This can help buyers visualize how they want their home to look. It’s also a reason to have a trustworthy realtor to work with, since a home can look vastly different in person than it does on the web.

When it comes to the paperwork, video conferencing tools allows buyers to meet face to face with their realtor. Products like Zoom make it easy and safe.

These tools are new, and some products out there are rudimentary, without the polish needed for a crisp home buying experience. But they are getting better. And with the recent quarantines, the necessity of online tools could be progress towards a better home buying experience.