New listings and sales are permitted during Washington’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order, but visiting homes is significantly restricted and open houses are prohibited. Touring a home in person is a vital step before writing an offer but you don’t have to completely ice your search. It will undoubtedly be a slow spring but new listings will continue to pop up every week and these listings are worth investigating while buyer competition is lighter.
Online research comes first
Photo credit: US News: Money
Scrutinize photos
Check out my ‘Pictures are deceiving’ post.
Click into gallery view to enlarge pictures as much as possible.
Slow down and give each photo a good look. Go through them multiple times.
Utilize virtual tours when available
Not all agents provide virtual tours for their listings but I think they will become much more prevalent, if not essential, moving forward.
As you click through a home, go slowly and keep your head on a swivel. Using this tool can add valuable context to the listing photos and help you better understand how they fit together. It allows you to peer into almost every corner of the house and provides additional opportunities to see what is outside of the windows.
Using the scroll wheel on your mouse often allows you to zoom in a little on anything interesting.
Keep an eye out for informational pop-up bubbles. Some listing agents take the opportunity to point out special features within the 3D walkthrough.
Virtual tours provide new perspectives and an opportunity to see between and beyond the marketing photos.
Google Street View and satellite images
Explore a birds-eye-view of the lot and neighbors with Google satellite view.
Virtually walk the whole street and surrounding blocks with Google street view.
Explore online information and reviews of nearby schools and amenities
Google nearby parks, schools, and businesses for additional pictures, information, and reviews.
Drive by the property
Your safety and the health of the community is paramount but, if you’ve been researching a home online and it seems promising, it might be time to do a drive by. This is an opportunity to compare the block in real life to what you’ve seen on Google street view. How does street parking look? Pull over and roll the window down. Any weird noises? Smells? Are neighbors socializing or out walking dogs? Is there a pack of dogs walking around on its own?
Discuss pricing/market/neighborhood and review additional documentation
By no means do you have to wait until this point to loop me in but send me the address if you haven’t yet! Let’s discuss what you love most and which aspects might be cause for concern or further research. I can access additional information, the seller disclosure, and title report on the MLS and offer you market and neighborhood insights to help decide if this might be the One.
FaceTime tour of the property by me or Bryan
So you can stay home safe, Bryan or I can visit a promising listing and video conference with you from there. We can share our in-person impressions and investigate/zoom-in on anything of interest.
Tour the home in-person
OMG, you’re sooo excited. This might be the One! It may sound a little backwards but NOW it’s time to see the place with your own eyes.
Currently, open houses are strictly prohibited and a maximum of two people are allowed to visit at a property at one time. That means we must make an appointment ahead of time and I can only show the property to one potential buyer at a time.
Let me know if you spot anything that looks appealing or if I can help with anything at all!