We don’t need to tell you this – going through the pandemic has been quite the wild ride! Even to this day, we’re still trying to make sense of what happened and how our lives have been affected. For real estate professionals, they’ve had to think on their toes in order to keep business going as best they can.
Insights from top agents report that all over the country, it’s a strong seller’s market, even at the height of the pandemic. Real estate agents have had to use different technologies on a regular basis in order to keep up with the increasing workload. Now as the pandemic is coming to an end, it’s likely that these technologies will continue to be used going forward.
1. Virtual tours
Buying a house was very much an in-person thing. Buyers would make appointments to walk through a house they’re interested in. Sometimes they’d walk through the house on more than one occasion before making an offer. However, since many sellers were reluctant to let random people walk through their home with a highly contagious virus making the rounds.
So to get around this, real estate agents used virtual touring to show buyers a house. The virtual tours would give the buyer the ability to look at the house, albeit in a limited capacity. Buyers who hadn’t had any trouble finding the best agent, the agent should record a thorough walkthrough and show the common things buyers would typically do like turning on lights, opening cabinets and so forth.
2. Video conferencing
Typically a buyer would meet with their real estate agent face to face throughout their business relationship. However, the pandemic made face-to-face meetings rare and on an as-needed basis. To get around this, agents (and the rest of the world) would use video conferencing to chat with their clients. This was a lot easier for both parties because they didn’t have to struggle trying to find a time that would work for both people to meet at the office. All they’d have to do is set a time, dial in their Zoom conference, and viola! A virtual conference that is quick, easy, and effective using online meeting platforms.
3. eSignatures
There are a lot of documents that need to be signed throughout the transaction and that usually requires an in-person meeting. Thankfully, eSignature programs allow all participants to sign documents digitally and on their own time. Once the documents have been signed, you can hit a button and it would go to the necessary parties for the transaction to go forward.
4. Digital floor plans and staging
Digital tours aren’t the only thing that helps agents show houses. Digital staging programs and 3D tour programs give the buyer a better look at the house, the dimensions, and even what their own furniture would look like or fit in the rooms.
Welcome to the new real estate experience
Technology isn’t only going to be something the buyer will have to get used to. Sellers have tools like a net proceeds calculator to help them figure out how much they can list their house for and how much of a profit they could make.
Investing in real estate is going to be a lot different than it used to be. What once was a hands on, personal process, it’s going to be a little less personal and a lot more technical. Now that doesn’t mean that the process is going to be a dreadful one. In fact, when you’re working with a top-rated agent, it could be a lot more enjoyable than you’d think.
