Purchasing a home without seeing it in person first happens more often than you may think. Between the growing capabilities of the Internet and the increasingly mobile nature of people’s lives, more and more people are taking the leap. The pandemic has added a new dimension to the virtual home search, with some buyers opting for a virtual home search because they feel more safe using this method.
While it is possible to find, tour and purchase a home virtually – without stepping foot in it – there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Here, we outline tips that will help ensure that you end up with the home of your dreams, not a nightmare.
1. Get Detailed With Your Wish List
Waiting until you physically walk through a house, condominium or apartment to experience the feeling of being home is not an option for buyers who plan to make a purchase sight unseen. This makes it even more imperative to give your real estate agent a detailed wish list than it is under normal circumstances.
Think about what you want aesthetically, functionally and location wise from your new home. Go through the exterior and the interior and take every little detail into account, from big elements like the style of home to small elements like the hardware on the drawers and cupboards in the kitchen. Share it all with your agent and do not feel bad about getting granular. After all, your agent’s job is to find you the perfect home!
2. Take Virtual Tours
Three-dimensional virtual home tours have been available for a number of years, but the pandemic has significantly increased their availability and use. As a result, most home owners make these tours available as a matter of course now.
Virtual tours are a great starting point for seeing the details of the home with your eyes. That said, you should always send your agent to walk through the home in person. There are several reasons for this. Unscrupulous may conceal areas of concern when designating the creation of their virtual tour. Sometimes flaws get overlooked unintentionally. And in other cases, there may be nothing physically wrong with the home, but something may look different on camera than it does in person.
3. Visit the Neighborhood
While you are buying the home, your life will be affected in some way by the surrounding neighborhood, from the noise level to any new construction going up. Plus, you may prefer a certain type of aesthetic in your neighborhood such as mature trees over trees planted a few years before.
Scoping out the neighborhood yourself can be done in person or by using Google Maps and Google Streetview. Take it a step further by asking your agent to walk the neighborhood for you when they tour the home in person.
Working With Clients The Way They Prefer
The team at Gina Morgando Homes has been helping clients find their dream home sight unseen and in person for years. Led by Gina, who is highly adept at leveraging social media and technology to guide clients toward the perfect home, our team pivots to meet all of our clients’ needs.
Buying a home is a major investment that should not be left to “good luck.” When you partner with our team, you can rest assured you will know exactly what you are getting when you purchase your home.
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