HOW TO HELP YOUR AGENT SELL YOUR HOME DURING LOCKDOWN

Under certain lockdown restrictions, real estate services are not allowed to operate, which means that sellers will need to help their real estate agents if they want to sell while the restrictions are in place.

Below are some tips on how to help your agent sell your home during lockdown if they are unable to provide their services:

Schedule a Virtual Valuation
Though a thorough physical inspection by an area expert will always be the most accurate, these can only be offered as soon as lockdown restrictions ease to a point where this is allowed. Sellers might need to schedule a virtual valuation appointment with a local RE/MAX agent to discuss the property in a screen-to-screen meeting via video call. This virtual home inspection will be considered alongside the latest digital suburb reports & sales data, as well as the specialised area knowledge & expertise of our local real estate advisors, to provide the seller with an accurate as possible valuation of the home.

Make your home picture perfect
A highly marketable property can be overlooked if the listing images are poor quality or if they do not provide insight into what the property has to offer. While a professional photographer would be best, sellers might need to capture their listing photos on their mobile device if lockdown restrictions do not allow these services to operate. Sellers must just ensure that the pictures are not blurry and that they provide an appealing view of each room. Stage the home before taking the photos and make sure there is no laundry in the background or dishes in the kitchen sink. Take at least ten to fifteen images – the more quality images of the property, the better.

Spend time on the description
Leaving space for unanswered questions in the listing description is an easy way of redirecting buyers to another listing where they can find all the information they need. An experienced real estate professional will be able to write a good listing description; but, if they are unable to physically view a seller’s home, sellers will need to help their agents write this. Think about all the questions a buyer might ask after looking through the images of the property, mentioning key selling features that are not visible in photographs, such as underfloor heating or heated towel rails.

Record your own walk-through
To give interested buyers a better feel for the flow of the home, sellers, with the guidance of their real estate professional, can record themselves walking through their home. This recording can then be sent to buyers who show interest in the property. Top tip: sellers should hold their camera phone horizontally and not vertically when recording, as this will provide a wider frame and let viewers see more of the home.

Do a live walk-through with your agent & the buyer
Once a buyer shows serious interest, a group video call could be arranged between the seller, the agent and the buyer where the seller walks through the home room by room to answer any questions the buyer might have. As an expert in this field, a real estate agent will be best equipped to answer the questions buyers pose at this point in the process. They will also guide sellers into which areas of the home should be highlighted and explained in more detail.          

While selling a home through purely digital means is no simple task, it can be achieved with the help of an experienced real estate professional. If you’re hoping to sell during lockdown at a time when restrictions do not allow real estate services to operate, schedule a virtual valuation today and one of our local area experts will get back to you.