Technology is helpful in so many areas of life, even real estate. Twenty years ago, if someone were moving across the country, they’d have to wait to buy a house until they arrived to start their new life, or they’d have to buy a home without seeing it in person beforehand. Both options would cause extra unwanted stress on top of moving to an unfamiliar place.
Luckily, with the rise of technology, virtual tours are here to save the day! When it comes to creating a virtual tour, it is a great way to show your home. This technology comes with risks.
Real Estate Agents can also use FaceTime or other apps to give their customers a tour of a house virtually without ever seeing the property in person.
When agreeing to allow your home to be filmed and shown to the masses you are no longer keeping the showing reserved to the walkthrough buyers. Remain cautious when allowing your home to be videotaped, live-streamed, or filmed for virtual tours. Remember films and live streams of your home’s interior, furnishings, electronics, valuables, and personal belongings are not seen one time by a walk through homebuyer, but it is streamed and a video is playing over and over to thousands potentially millions of people on the Internet. A home robbery could occur if a thief sees valuable items in your home.
It is a good idea for homeowners to have a video of their own with proof of all their belongings in case something is stolen. Having continuous videos shared or live streams shared openly to any audience may give potential thieves access to the inside of your home and the contents.
A great tip is to remove valuables from the home and store them at another family member’s home or in a safe deposit box off-site. Keep all jewelry, decor items, artwork, and other valuable items out of site of videotaping and live streaming.
Take time to clean your house before the virtual tour and remove all clutter and any furniture you don’t want to be seen. Your realtor will help you with a simple staging of your home beforehand, so it looks presentable in the video. The great thing about staging for a virtual tour is you’ll only have to keep it that way for a couple of hours before you can put everything back where it belongs.
Anyone interested in taking a virtual tour can easily watch it online to get a good idea of what to expect in person. When you’ve decided it’s time to sell your home, a virtual tour can be a great way to get more people to see it and secure a buyer in less time than a traditional open house. Not only does it give potential buyers a first glimpse, but it also ensures that only people who are seriously considering purchasing your home request a tour or show up to the open house.
Discuss the sale of your home with your homeowner’s insurance agent. Make sure your policy is in effect and that you are covered. Have a list or video of all belongings for proof in the event of loss.