Buying A Home Virtually

Buying a home without ever physically seeing the home can be a scary prospect – UNLESS you have a REALTOR who truly can provide a virtual home tour.

Before the Pandemic, buying a home started with seeing some pictures online and then either going to an open house or meeting an agent to walk through the home yourself. Things have changed. Buying a home via FaceTime is now a standard. In fact, the National Association of Realtors said that in 2022 27% of all home buyers used some sort of technology in marketing a home. Most agents provide detailed virtual tours, from new home construction to luxury. BUT, there is a difference between a virtual tour and a private FaceTime tour.

NUMBER ONE MISTAKE! Don’t assume that a virtual home tour is showing everything. A virtual home tour is a marketing tool. It is filmed to show the best qualities of the home. It comes with editing and many times are done by professionals to show the best lighting for example.

TIP ONE: Get an agent who will do a FaceTime tour with you. Every room, every closet, every baseboard can be shown in this type of video. You can ask questions. Your agent can check for lighting, flooring, and imperfections just as you would if you were physically present. In most marketing tours they do not spend time looking to see how many drawers and cabinets are in the kitchen. Is there a closet in every bedroom?

NUMBER TWO MISTAKE! Not checking out the community. In pictures it is difficult to ascertain what a particular neighborhood is really like. What does the neighbor’s yard look like? What is the noise level? What’s near by for amenities? 

TIP TWO:  It is important to have silence in your FaceTime to see what you can hear both inside and outside of the home. Have your agent take a 2-minute walk in each direction from the front door and show you the neighborhood rather than looking from a marketing drone photo. Is there room for your outdoor kitchen?  Can you put in a pool?

NUMBER THREE MISTAKE! Under pressure! Every agent will recommend that you get a home inspection during the inspection period of your sales contract. Understand that regardless of the outcome of that report, you have to pay for the inspection. How does the home do under pressure?

TIP THREE: During the FaceTime walk through, have your agent turn on the faucets and showers, then flush the toilet. Did the volume of water dramatically change? Run hot water. How fast did you get hot water? Turn on multiple lights, does anything flicker. Change the AC setting – how fast did the home heat up or cool down? While these are all things that your inspector will verify, it is important when constructing an offer package, to know the general condition.

NUMBER FOUR MISTAKE! Tech systems. It is imperative to make sure that nothing negative is said during a FaceTime tour. With today’s tech, many homes have various devices that could harm an offer with certain conversations. 

TIP FOUR: Be sure that you and your agent have a conversation before you begin to agree to only talk facts while inside the home. You can have the other conversation after you are outside. Depending upon the types of tech/smart home features in the home, it is highly recommended that a separate inspection be done to test these features.

TAKE AWAY

It is important to find an agent that is familiar with the neighborhood/community you are looking at. It is also imperative to find an agent who will take the time and energy to do a full virtual home tour with you.

A first glance around is great on a marketing video tour, but is there enough space to add the dream outdoor kitchen you have always wanted? Is there natural lighting coming in to suit you? What is the maintenance of the property outside going to entail? Were there chips in the ceramic tile floor? 

Finding your next home is a journey. It is even more of a journey when you are not physically present to see the home. Technology can take the stress out of buying when you can not physically see the home when working with the right agent.

East Pasco Living Team

We are a collaborative team with a vision to put our years of experience working and living in East Pasco to work for you!  We strive to build long-term relationships and give you the individualized attention you deserve. Let us put our combined decades of experience to work for you. 

Carla Goddard | East Pasco Living Team Lead

Graduate, REALTOR® Institute | Residential Specialist | BHHS-Certified New Home Specialist | Certified National Home Specialist – Residential Construction Certified (CNHS-RCC) | NHCB Certified New Homes Co-Broker |BHHS-Certified eCertified® Specialist | BHHS-Certified rCertifiedSM Referral and Relocation Specialist | Tampa Bay Builder Services Manager

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

📧email: carla@eastpascoliving.com

📲text/call 813.716.4498