How many of you work with out of town clients? I know that most of us are traditional Realtors and send our clients listings like any other.
But what else do you do for them? With inventory still high, what extra steps are you taking to help them with there buying process? Have you started videos yet? No? Well you should!
This past December I had been working with international clients. They were here the in the States for a short period of time. We manage to look at a bunch of homes and both brothers put in offers. One was accepted the other one wasn't. He wasn't here when we found out that the offer was accepted by another person. He really wanted to find a home but was not sure when he would be bacck here.
I told him I would continue to send him listings and when he found one or a few that he liked to let me know I will go with a camera in hand and record the home for him. It will be like you were walking the house yourself. So he agreed and on we went. I must have recorded about 6 homes.
Out of those he really liked one and put in an offer without viewing the house in person. In fact we closed on the home before he ever stepped foot in the House. How's that for selling a home?
You didn't think that shooting a video of a house would sell it did you? You didn't think it was worth your time? Well I am at a point I am working with 2 more set of out of town buyers. And as it turns out might have one it again. They might be putting in an offer.
You never know, thinking outside of the box has its advantages!
Selling Houses and Creating Homes!
Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com
Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.
Fantastic blog, very helpful...thank you!
I've sold several homes "sight unseen". My broker never liked that because of liability reasons, but I didn't see any liability when I was sending so many pictures and videos for them to make an educated decision.
Donna I don't see anything wrong with it. It narrows down the search and to be able to sell a house that way is great! The clients love it as well!
Dorothea Your welcome!
I have done this for my relocation clients and they always seem to love it.
I Think this a pretty good idea. I might use it sometime.Thanks for the idea. Liz
I've had two experiences with selling sight-unseen. One good, and one not so good.
The first time happened when I was new to real estate - back in the dark ages. The buyers were a couple who wanted to live "off the grid" in a remote area. There was a run-down cabin about a mile up a mountain and they had seen the ad and wanted that cabin. It was winter and the snow was getting deep, but I took another agent with me and we hiked up that mountain, cameras in hand.
After sending them dozens of photos and describing the hours it took to slog through the snow and get up that mountain, as well as the run-down condition of the cabin, they still wanted it. I actually tried to talk them out of it, but they were insistent - right up until they arrived in town for the closing. Then they decided that it was too far from the bus stop so would be too hard on their children.
So that transaction didn't happen.
The other one was better. A lady wanted to move to the same community as her friends, so I showed homes to the friends, who videoed everything and sent it on to her. When her friend fell in love with a house she got on her cell phone and described every detail as we went through the house on a second showing.
That transaction closed long-distance and the friends took care of the place for several months until the buyer came to town. I've still never met her, but I do get jokes in my e-mail from her!
Thinking of some of those old situations makes me glad that I now spend my days writing copy to help agents find clients - instead of climbing mountains in the snow!
What a great idea! I have many people relocating to the area and they have no idea what a neighborhood is like by viewing if from Google. What they describe they want and some of the homes they give me I know they won't work. I have one client that wants to be within walking distance of stores and shops, then sends me a home that the nearest store is 4 miles away. I know if I drive with the camera, she will quickly see this isn't the home for her.
Todd I have done neigherborhoods as well and that also works well. Have a mini tripod in the car and drive through the community and post them on youtube or any other site like it. Works wells!
Donna's broker was right being concerned about added liability. I'm not saying don't do this. In fact I sold a multi-million dollar commercial property this way several years ago. However, pictures and videos often don't disclose things like the faint staining on the ceiling or the crack in the foundation, or the slightly musty smell (or that of cigarrette smoke or cat urine). Just remember to convey any and all details that you notice no matter how trivial they may seem and do it in a way that leaves a record (not by phone, etc.) Also, third party inspections are absolutely imperative in a situation such as this and I'd be very cautious about recommending vendors of these types of services. You ARE your buyer's eyes, ears, and nose in this situation. When they walk into a home after closing and notice ANYTHING that they weren't informed about, guess who's going to hang.
Even though I did the video we still did an inspection, which I attended for him and was able to convey what was said and forwarded him a report.
I also encourage an inspection, they see what I can't and my buyers appericate me being honest!
I think as agents, we need to get to know our clients and determine the right course of action for them. For some, videos are a great use of technology and for others it might be a liability. Know your clients and do whats best. Jeannette, you are on the cutting edge!
I do a lot of pre-screening for out of town buyers. I find what is key is to look at a lot of homes with them when you have them present so you can get a feel for their taste and they can figure out exactly what they want. How many times have you seen a buyer fall in love with a house that is nothing like they told you they wanted?
Jeannette: We had a client who was living in San Diego and moving to the Denver area for work. They came and looked at homes, found one they liked and wrote a contract with a builder. After they got home they asked us to look at another development so we did, taking pictures, documenting everything and sending it off (didn't think of video taping but like the idea). In the end they went with the first home, but it was a good exercise.
I love this, I am going to use this and change the way out of town buyers look for homes in BC forever, thanks so much for sharing a wonderful idea on how to use a tool that has been availble to us for the last 5 years.
Cheers!
I just had to do this for a wife that was out of the country...she loved it because she felt like she was almost with us looking at the property! Great post!
Question: In Calif. we cant advertise another brokers listings without permission. How would taking a video of a property be considered?
Debbie in our MLS there is a section that asked if you would like for others to advertise there listings. Most say yes, so that is not a problem. But I always state that I am previewing for out of state or country buyers and they have asked if I could record the preview. I have not run into any problems with the agents or the sellers saying no.
Just ask!