Between the coronavirus and low inventory, working with a REALTOR who can help you buy a home virtually is becoming more and more common.
Why Buy a Home Virtually?
Some buyers just don’t want to tour homes in person with the pandemic. And other buyers who live out-of-state are finding even more challenges with the low inventory. Flying out for the weekend to only be able to look at a couple of homes usually isn’t their best use of time and money.
With homes not sitting on the market long, buyers need to act quickly, and out-of-area buyers really need to depend upon their REALTOR to be their “boots on the ground” and tour these homes for them.
I have worked with many buyers relocating to the area and I have sold many homes to buyers virtually well before the coronavirus hit. Here’s how I work with my buyers to find, research and successfully close on their next Olympia, WA home all from the comfort of their couch!
Here’s my walk-through video going over my process when working with buyers who are buying a home virtually.
The Interview
I will ask you a lot of questions. Not just about the type of home you are looking for but also to make sure buying a home virtually works for you. It isn’t for everyone and I will want to understand your expectations of the process.
I have worked with many buyers who did purchase sight-unseen and the first time they saw the home was when I handed them the keys. In order for this successful outcome, it took a lot of very honest and direct communication before and during the entire process.
Research
You’ll want to start your research and I can point you in the right direction. With so many tools online, it is easier today to research areas, neighborhoods, schools, location to amenities, and more. Of course, as your local expert, I will help you narrow down areas I think you’d like.
Once you find a house, if you like to do a lot of research on your own, Thurston County has a lot of great websites. Here are the sites that will help you find permit history, septic records, flood maps, aerials and more. And if the home is located within the city limits, be sure to visit that city’s website for records. If this research isn’t for you, I can easily get this information for you. I like to investigate and snoop for public records!
Touring the Home
When I tour a home, I’d like to bring you along via Facetime. I can also do a walk-thru video but with Facetime, if there is something that I walk by that you’d like to see more in detail, obviously I can do that right then and there.
I will show you the outside of the home and what is around it. What does the street look like, are there sidewalks, what is next door and what is behind the house. Inside, I’ll tour the home like you would – looking at the floor plan, how rooms relate to each other, the condition of the home and the finishes.
Some of my buyers will make fun of me for this but just about ALL of my buyers appreciate this – I pretty much “unsell” you the house! I will point out every flaw, ding, chip I can find. I will tell you about any weird smells or any obvious issues, cosmetic flaws or potential things that might be a concern for you.
Home Inspection
Your home inspector will be the one who will find those flaws or repairs issues and will bring those to your attention. For the home inspection, I attend those on your behalf and will video important findings. I’ll ask the inspector to do a summary and I’ll film him/her. I find this verbal summary really important for buyers because the written report can be intimidating.
Writing Up the Offer
Finally, writing up an offer is very easy to do virtually. We’ll have a Zoom meeting to go over everything about the offer: the negotiation strategy, market data and comparables, what we know about the seller’s wants and needs, and of course, discuss your offer in detail so that you understand the terms and obligations.
I can share my screen so we can go over the purchase and sale agreement together.
E-Signing
For anything related to the purchase and sale agreement, we can use e-signing software. I use Authentisign, which is just a link that I email to you. You don’t need an app nor do you need to download anything. You just open the link and click to sign.
Conclusion
Have you thought about buying a home virtually or the old fashioned way, in person? Either way, I have a free Buyer’s Guide that answers just about every question you could have, and if I missed a question, ask me in the comments below. I’m available to help you with your virtual or in-person home purchase in the Olympia area.