It’s no secret that 2020 is the year of virtual everything: workouts, happy hours, classes, and even, home sales. Yes, that’s right, in this era, a major life event like selling your home can be done virtually. If you are wondering how that might be possible, HomeLight's got you covered with a few of the steps to selling your home that you didn’t know could be done virtually.
Selling Your Home Virtually
Agent interviews and walkthroughs
Finding an agent who will be your professional guide, is one of the most important steps to selling your home virtually. You used to be able to meet potential agents in-person and show them your home, but in the COVID-19 world, virtual meetings and walkthroughs are the way to go to keep everyone safe and at ease. For the best results, you’ll want to create a game plan. Think about how you want to show potential agents your home’s best features, Include any areas of your home that you might be concerned about marketing to buyers.
Like any other job interview, a list of questions can be helpful to select the most qualified professional. Some of those inquiries might be: What is your experience selling homes like mine in this neighborhood? How have you adjusted your business practices to account for COVID-19 safety practices? In your experience, do you sell houses for more money on average than other agents selling comparable homes? Do you include online marketing services, like professional photos, an online listing, or virtual home tours, as part of your fees?
Staging
If you are already familiar with staging — transforming your home into an inviting space that will appeal to potential buyers — you might wonder how it is possible to get this done virtually, especially if you are limited to what you already have inside of it. You can follow some DIY tips, by first removing clutter, and creating space in your rooms, by moving furniture from one space to another. Taking down heavy drapes adds light and life, as can bringing in greenery, fresh flowers, or even a bowl of fruit into living areas. Some professional stagers will even offer virtual consultations, where they will assess your home on video and advise what you can do to help your home look its best, to help you sell your home fast in Dallas, TX.
Showings to potential buyers
Like virtual meetings with potential agents, you can show your home virtually to potential buyers. That’s not to say that you won’t show your home in-person at all (you likely will when you find that perfect buyer), but virtual showings will be your most powerful tool to show off your home the first time around. Your agent can open your home up to a virtual open house, following the same format as an in-person open house, where they give potential buyers a live tour, as long as they are alone in the home while doing it and follow safety precautions. You can also create a video tour that can be available to anyone who is interested in your home. The best strategy might be a combination of all three tools and you can work with your agent to coordinate these alternative showing options.
Inspection and appraisal
A home inspection during COVID-19 looks a bit different than a typical home inspection because there are some precautions that are needed to ensure everyone’s safety. Alternative appraisals, done virtually, are another option, as the Federal Housing Finance Agency has granted flexibilities and alternatives for appraisals. These changes mean that a buyer’s lender may allow for an alternative appraisal that might include pulling comps (information about comparable homes) and driving by your home.
You can get a lot of the home selling process done virtually, and that means that COVID-19 doesn’t need to limit your real estate goals, you just need to be aware of all the tools that are available to you, and your agent, to get the job done.
This post has been sponsored by HomeLight.
