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Realtors Rely on These Technologies to Keep Business Flowing

The coronavirus has shaken the world to its core and we’re all still trying to figure out how to live our lives and conduct business while keeping those around us safe from infection. Real estate in particular is an example of a public-facing industry where realtors and their clients work closely together throughout the transaction. But, since localities have instituted various safety measures, realtors have had to think on their toes so they can continue to conduct business. 

One of the ways realtors are able to do this is by using various types of technologies. Sure, they may have used some of these technologies prior to 2020, but they’ve become essential tools that every realtor relies on. 

Let’s take a look at the types of technologies real estate agents are using to conduct business.

1. Virtual touring

Real estate is all about seeing a property in person. Buyers get to walk around the property, go into the home, and check it out. However, since the pandemic swept the country, sellers were hesitant to let random people come through their home – many were even afraid to keep their homes on the market for that very reason! 

So what did agents do? They started to do virtual tours. Virtual tours are when the agent would walk through the property and show potential buyers every inch of the home. The agent could then upload the virtual tour to the property’s webpage so future potential buyers could view it too.

2. Video conferences

Since real estate is a forward facing industry, there are a lot of meetings that will take place. Instead of going to the office to meet with clients, agents hopped on video conferencing programs like Skype, Zoom, or Facetime. Video conferencing is also used at times to meet with home inspectors, other agents, and loan officers. 

3. Digital signatures

If you’ve had any dealings in real estate, you know you’ll have to sign a lot of documents. Some agents would have a designated place where their clients can pick up the documents, sign them, and put them back in the designated spot for the agent to pick up. Sounds pretty time consuming, right? It was. 

Instead of using drop zones, they used programs like DocuSign or DotLoop to get the required signatures. Signing the documents online is a much easier and safer way to keep the ball rolling. Plus, since documents are signed electronically, the documents are signed and delivered all within seconds!

4. Digital floor plans and staging

Virtual showings are a useful tool, but so are programs that do digital staging and digital floor plans. These tools can be used to show clients how their belongings could look (or if they’d even fit) in the home. Clients can also use the digital floor plans to see how the home would look and flow if they decided to reconfigure the floor plan in some way.

Welcome to a new real estate industry

These aren’t the only technologies that are being used to carry out a real estate transaction. Some sellers who need to sell quickly can reach out to home buying companies. Buyers can use a home affordability calculator to get a ballpark idea of how much home they can afford. What’s cool is that these are just a few examples!

The real estate industry isn’t going to be the same after the pandemic and that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. If anything, it makes the whole process a lot simpler because there’s no traveling, there’s no waiting to get documents signed, and scheduling virtual meetings is easier than trying to find a time that works for everyone to meet in person. 

All in all, it’s safe to say that times have changed and the industry is doing it’s best to keep up!

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