Virtual viewings are here to stay

Despite the national lockdown being eased, it has been noted across the property sector that physical viewings are down, and virtual viewings remain on the up. With the property market on pause from 23rd March to 13th May, the industry took swift action and turned to technology to save the day. While some agents already used 3D tours as a tool to ensure physical viewers really were interested, others had barely used it but now it’s a fundamental part of real estate.

Virtual tours come with many benefits and when it comes to buying or renting, one of the biggest pull factors is the amount of time saved for both the agent and the tenant or buyer. While a rented apartment viewing will usually take 30-40 minutes, and for purchasers it can take an hour or more – digital tours can be done in half of this time. Particularly for tenants, where there is a swift turn around and often lunch time viewings, this can take out a lot of the stress involved, including travel. For the agent and landlord, it means less time is spent with a high volume of ‘dead wood’ viewers, cutting turn around time and encouraging a more effective workflow.

Of course, technology can’t replace the ‘see it and feel it’ factor that is sometimes required and the human experience of being present in the property, however it can give a more detailed overview to prospective tenants, even before requesting a physical viewing.

This use of technology, even following the ease of lockdown and the restrictions on property viewings, is so popular that both tenants and buyers alike are often agreeing to the let or purchase of properties based solely on the virtual viewing. As this continues and the up take in virtual viewings remains high, it seems they are certainly here to stay.