Real Estate During Lockdowns

Virtual Property Appraisals & Inspections on the Mornington Peninsula 

Selling or leasing your property during this latest lockdown is not “mission impossible”. There are many technologies and techniques to help you maximise the value of your home despite the pandemic. Buyer and tenant demand is still at record highs even though restrictions have been placed on inspections.

If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic’s impact on property, it’s that lockdowns create a pent-up demand that has previously created increases in prices and strong competition for property on the Mornington Peninsula. Additionally, buyers are comfortable with using new technologies to make their purchases.

Video, virtual and 3D tours of homes have been a huge hit. Lockdown can be a great time to sell or lease your property. Genuine buyers or tenants never stop looking but as some owners get anxious and pull out of the market they’ll have fewer properties from which to choose. This means the in-balance between supply and demand will work in your favour even more.

If you’re thinking of selling or leasing, here are a few activities we believe are critical to a successful lockdown property transaction:

Invest in online – Make sure your property features strongly on portals such as Domain and realestate.com.au. You’ll attract not only genuine buyers but also those who are thinking about their next dream home.

Snap happy – Nothing ignites the imagination of a potential buyer like quality photography or videography and during a lockdown, they have plenty of time to think about their big move. You want to be at the forefront of their minds and it’s the great photos that make your home stand out. If professional photography is not possible due to lockdowns we have seen a lot of success with video tours or photos produced from the vendor’s smart phone!

Target market – We’ll identify the most likely buyers or tenants of your home – whether they are families, singles or young couples. This will instruct us on how and where to pitch your property.

Be marketing-smart – Leveraging social media is a great way to reach your target market especially when the photography is stunning. 

Unconverted leads – As your agent, we can show you how we’ll leverage contacts made over our journey, via our entire database, about properties similar to your own. While some of these potential buyers might have bought elsewhere, the lack of properties on the market means many are probably still looking.

Video tours – Video and virtual tours can be shown on Instagram, Facebook or restricted to being available on request. Some clients like to do these tours themselves and due to lockdown restrictions there may not be another option.

3D tours – These professionally-produced tours allow potential buyers to walk through your home using their computers. Buyers get a sense of size and space using 360-degree rendering of any room, and the garden and entertainment area.

Stage your home – For a wow factor, consider staging your home. Presentation counts for so much in real estate, and this is an ideal approach – and can cheer you up during lockdown! A consultant will choose and hire furnishings to put your property in its best light. Don’t decide on this at the last minute. You’d want the photography and virtual tour to capitalise on this strategy.

Since the first lockdown and subsequent restrictions faced across the real estate industry, we're becoming more familiar with virtual meetings and inspections. At Abode Peninsula we have invested in technology and have the processes in place to conduct our operations remotely effectively. 

If you were considering selling your home before even knowing the term “Covid-19”, then now is a great time to get those plans back on track.

As Victoria experiences a rollercoaster ride being in and out of varying levels of restrictions across the past 18 months, our industry and our society have begun to adapt to a way of life that embraces new technologies and the challenges of operating effectively in a non-face-to-face way.  

Real estate agents are being asked to conduct appraisals of properties for both sellers and rental providers without physically putting a foot inside! This creates challenges which the team at Abode Peninsula have embraced and are providing our clients with multiple avenues to continue operations.  

If you are still nervous of people walking through your property, virtual appraisals conducted by an Abode Peninsula team member will give you the best insight into the value of your property, as well as its most compelling selling points.

In normal times, an agent must physically attend a property to do an appraisal, but as we all know, these aren’t normal times. The Real Estate Authority allows in its Code of Conduct for an agent to conduct a virtual assessment in “exceptional circumstances” and the use of technology has provided a fantastic opportunity to present and inspect real estate across the Mornington Peninsula and beyond.

For those considering selling or leasing their property the process couldn’t be more straightforward. An Abode Peninsula agent will assist you by taking part in a video call and then walk through the property so they can see your home and ask questions. Many technology platforms, such as Apple’s FaceTime, Facebook’s Messenger and WhatsApp, or Zoom, will help you do this quickly and efficiently.

As you walk around your home, your Abode Peninsula team member will be at the other end of the video call, filling in an appraisal form, just as they would if they’d been able to visit the property.

When restrictions lift that allow open houses, private inspections and even moving house under strict social distancing conditions, a virtual appraisal is an excellent way for you to take your first proactive step to sell or lease your property.

Thinking of selling? Vacant investment property? Ask us about a virtual appraisal! Or if you're looking to purchase or lease a new home we have the ability to conduct virtual property tours or inspections, contact a member of the team for details.