How a Remote World Impacts a Home Search

It is no surprise that we have all been affected by the pandemic in some form or another. Children were attending virtual school while at home, many brick and mortar stores closed and launched their businesses via e-commerce websites, and offices around the world closed indefinitely sending people into a new era of the work-from-home lifestyle. The list truly goes on and on. Can you see the common theme here though? HOME. Home is where we are all spending the most time and where the control center of our lives now lies. 

“The coronavirus pandemic struck, and 88% of the world’s organizations encouraged or mandated remote work.” - Review 42 

 

If you think that the work-from-home lifestyle will soon be a thing of the past, trends and data are reporting much differently. “Coronavirus didn’t force us to embrace remote work; it accelerated our embrace of being a remote worker,” said author at Mynd. Now how does remote work and living affect the world of real estate? With remote work here to stay, we had to expect housing to adjust accordingly. Between working from home, online school, and continued social distancing, people are spending more time in their homes and assessing their needs to see if their current home really is where their heart is and if it may be time to make the move to something that fits more of their needs.

Real estate and the world of technology were once distant relatives but now that we have entered the world of remote work, we have erased the distance between the two, forming a new way of buying and selling homes or (one big happy family). Fast forward to today, everything involving real estate can now be done remotely and agents have the tools and software they need to make it a seamless, stress-free process. Between the latest technology, new practices, and ways of life due to the pandemic, it is easier than ever to be both efficient and successful working from home as a real estate agent. 

Some of the ways this process has evolved to become fully remote, replacing in-person contact: 

1.  Connecting With Clients and Nurturing Leads

Pre-covid, connecting with people and potential clients was typically done face-to-face. Once the world shut down and in-person meetings were no longer, realtors had to adjust to a new way of connecting with leads and developing processes to nurture them down the sales funnel. With the help of technology and an efficient digital marketing strategy, zoom calls and lead generation tools have moved to the top of the agent tool kit as a necessity. 

2. Listing a Home

When an agent is listing homes, there are various remote tools to consider when helping your client get the best deal. Self-guided tours are the way of the future utilizing the latest technology and tools and allowing the viewer to move at their own pace. “There’s no rush to leave or pressure to stay,” stated Zillow. There are various types of virtual tours as well such as pre-recorded, real-time tours, which can be done via facetime with the client, and 3D tours which can be accomplished with the latest and greatest virtual reality technology. 

3. Closings

Closing on a home or property without all parties in attendance has actually been a practice that we’ve seen prior to the pandemic. Virtual conferencing and electronic signatures have made this process easier and seamless. Documents, paperwork, and signatures play a major role in closing real estate deals. All papers and documents now have the capability to be sent, reviewed, and completed virtually making the process quicker and more efficient. 

As we can see, working remotely does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Whether you are a client or a real estate agent, the digital world now plays a huge role in the real estate industry and it will only develop from here. If you want to learn more about how remote work can give you, the agent, more options and tools to utilize when closing a deal, let’s connect to discuss your situation and priorities.