As technology advances, people continually find more and better ways to use it in everyday settings. Now, advanced technology like virtual reality, computer-aided graphics, and drone filming has created a home buying experience unlike anything ever seen before.
Drone Footage
Now you can employ drone footage to help buyers experience your home from afar, whether it is because they are too far away to visit in person, or because the more thoroughly they experience your home, the more likely they will be to follow through. Sellers have used drone footage of the exterior of homes for several years to give potential buyers a bird’s eye view of the property and layout. Now you can also use drone videography inside your home, to create an eye-catching video of all the best features of the home.
3D Floor Plan
With a 3D floor plan, buyers can see the house layout without setting foot on the property. You can spin the floor plan to look at it from all angles, and zoom in and out for better details. The advantages to the buyer seem obvious. They can use the floor plan to better evaluate their interest level, even before they have an in-person visit. They can picture themselves living in the house, seeing the various rooms, doors, and levels.
The advantages to the seller may be less obvious, but anytime buyers are happy the seller will benefit. In addition, the floor plan can weed out any buyers that may not be completely interested, help field questions that the floor plan can answer, and ensure that their time is spent showing the home to only the most interested buyers.
Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality can be used in several ways to help the home buying and selling process. With virtual reality videos, potential buyers can explore the home remotely. This is helpful for buyers that are a long way away, but also convenient for busy agents and buyers who can save time by only scheduling home visits once they know they are seriously interested. It is also helpful for buyers with difficult schedules, who find it difficult to schedule viewings. For sellers, virtual reality visits mean less stress, fewer people coming in and out of their homes, and more serious buyers.
Virtual Assistant
Consider hiring a virtual assistant to help with home buying or selling tasks. From scheduling meetings to organizing paperwork and performing online home searches, a personal virtual assistant can be very helpful.
An assistant can be the go-to person for scheduling meetings, home visits, and phone calls. They can simply use your calendar to see when you are available and all contacts for appointments can go directly to them, freeing up your time and mental space for other tasks.
Assistants are also useful for sellers, as scheduling home visits can be a time-consuming and frequent task. If your agent knows that they can call your virtual assistant to schedule any visits, you will avoid phone calls and emails. Just check your calendar frequently to make sure you aren’t surprised.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality can be used to help home buyers understand the property better, which limits the amounts of questions you will get and helps buyers feel comfortable with the home. The sellers can implement virtual reality in their homes and buyers will be able to find out information just by pointing their phone camera at the house while in the app. This can also be done inside the house to help buyers during home visits.
Augmented reality can also be used on the buyer’s side, to help them picture the house as it would look once furnished and decorated. Buyers can use an app that will allow them to choose and place a variety of furniture and accessories into the rooms, helping them visualize themselves in the home. And these aren’t computer-generated generic pieces- the apps use real furniture that you can buy in your favorite stores.
Virtual Staging
Virtual staging can be done to dress up the pictures of your home. Virtual staging is a step beyond the photo enhancing that is now normal in the real estate world. With virtual staging, you aren’t just enhancing the photos with better light, improved color, and an added fire in the fireplace, you are furnishing the whole house. There are many advantages to virtual staging for both the buyer and seller.
The seller can use virtual staging to create an attractive, enticing house that is furnished and decorated in a professional way that is planned to enhance and flatter the property. The process is much cheaper and easier than physical staging.
From the buyer’s point of view, virtual staging allows them to see the house as it could look with their family living there. It is hard to picture yourself living in an empty house, or even worse, a house filled with someone else’s belongings. Virtual staging allows you to envision the house at its best.
Online Paperwork and Closing
It is now possible to complete every step of the home buying process virtually. You can buy a home without ever meeting any of the people you are working with in person, sitting in a meeting, and even without ever visiting the property!
With online applications, most or all of the documents your lender, agent, and title company need can be signed online. If you do need a few wet signatures, which may be required in some states, you can print those documents, sign, them, and mail them back.
Closing can also happen virtually, as long as the escrow company, agents, and lenders are all prepared in advance and have those documents available. Online closings are fast, convenient, and low-stress, but you will still have a lot of papers to sign. Just like with any contract, make sure you read the documents before signing them.