You’re thinking of buying a new sofa so you go online to do some browsing. And there in full color and multiple views are myriad sofas to choose in every color of the rainbow. They look so good. But do you take the plunge and order one, free shipping, and no tax? Well, all you have to do is click. And then wait with anticipation for your new purchase to arrive.
But when it comes to buying a house, would you even consider following the same procedure? The answer is that millions of potential home buyers do. They virtually scour the many Web sites with elaborate photos of properties for sale, and use this technique very successfully to at least weed out the nos. This makes life much easier for their broker, who doesn’t waste his client’s time and his own checking out properties they would be ruling out. This is a given today.
Technological improvements are getting more sophisticated and elaborate every day and now, in addition to still photos, potential buyers with headsets can snap on their virtual reality headsets and parade from room to room and top to bottom. This marvelous tool does not come cheap and brokers and developers are pretty much utilizing it only for high end properties and projects.
The more the buyer sees, the more likely is he or she to actually take the plunge and buy that sofa, or new house with a click. Virtual reality is being utilized for home purchases and also by marketers of home products and services. Not only can you buy online, you can redesign and renovate, choose fixtures, see models, etc.
With real estate heating up in so many desirable areas, the time is getting shorter for potential homeowners to snatch up a winner. So what does the clever hot-to-trot broker do when his buyers are too far away to get to the new listing pronto?
He pulls off the freeway, scoots over to the home, pulls out his smart phone, and marches through the listing, simultaneously showing live video to his faraway client. And what does that smart client do? He makes an offer, that’s what, and thereby beats out all the other potential folks making appointments to visit the property.
This is not the future, folks; it is today.
Should brokers worry that their services will no longer be needed with buyers able to pick and choose and buy on the Internet? Virtual reality is streamlining the process of selection, yes, but the broker does fulfill a crucial need. He holds the hand of the buyer making what is, probably, his largest and most important purchase. The broker is a consultant, an expert in real estate, and is able to give the buyer the confidence to move forward and make that click.
We are still people, after all, and though we love our gadgets, we like and trust our fellow humans even more. The available tech makes it easier for all concerned, facilitating the process. But in the end, we don’t want to give away what’s most important, our emotions, our dreams and our camaraderie with one another. Click away but do consult your broker.
