Whether they're trying to get ahead of the competition or have concerns about COVID-19, more buyers are still choosing to purchase a home without ever stepping foot inside. Clients are relying on virtual tours or video walkthroughs from their real estate agent to help decide which home is right for them.

Video walkthrough tours—like those offered by agents via FaceTime, Zoom, or Google Meet—may continue to grow in popularity, saving your clients a trip to view the home themselves. It also provides a competitive edge in markets with limited inventory, allowing clients to act more quickly. These video tours could also grow more common among those shopping for investment properties or house hunting due to job relocation in a different state.

With the added help of technology, real estate professionals are also able to stretch beyond just their local market to appeal more to buyers relocating from other markets and even those from other countries.

“We have clients who don’t live anywhere near us, and showing to out-of-state and foreign buyers over the phone has become increasingly common, pandemic or not,” Serhant writes for Forbes.com. “As agents, we are here to fill in any gaps that technology hasn’t closed; If my client can’t fly in from across the country to see a home, I can be there to see it for her and take her on a tour via FaceTime. If my client wants to buy a home in another country, I can make it happen virtually without requiring him to get on a plane or even leave his home. Serving foreign and out-of-state purchasers is easier than ever before because we can do it without any travel and minimal interruption to the client’s life.”

Source: “More People Than Ever Are Buying Homes They Haven’t Seen In Person. Here’s Why,” forbes.com (March 30, 2021)