Five Tips to Get your Home Ready for a Virtual Showing

(Photo : pixabay)

So you've decided that you won't let Covid-19 hamper your plans to sell your home and you are ready to forge ahead with a strategy to show it off to potential buyers with a twist - virtually. Before you start letting strangers into your home, even if it's only from their computer or mobile phone screens, here are some tips to show your home during Covid-19 that will ensure success and get that home sold quickly. 

Set the stage

Your agent has probably already talked with you about staging your home - creating an environment that will be appealing to a wide audience that is free of too many personal items or clutter - and you might be wondering how it's possible to effectively stage a home, when it might be more difficult to buy furniture and home decor, or hire someone to stage your home for you. Some professional stagers will work remotely, by offering you a strategy based on a virtual tour of your home. Or, you can follow some DIY tips to get your home looking great for a virtual tour: If a room is feeling cramped, try moving furniture, artwork, lamps, or other decorative items from one space to another. To create more natural light, remove drapes or rugs, and clean windows inside and out. You can also add life to a room with fresh flowers, or a bowl of fruit. 

Let there be light

Lighting is always important when you show your home, but during a virtual tour there are some special considerations. If your agent will be using a mobile phone or laptop, moving from one room to the next to show people around, they need to be aware of the lighting in each room as they move. If your home is particularly bright, be sure it's not too bright, to create glare. If it's dark in some areas, be sure you have lights on before your agent starts the tour. Doing a test run for lighting, and scheduling showings when your home receives the best light, if possible, can be a great tool to help your home look its best.

Control your environment

While everyone in your family might be spending more time at home right now, during the virtual showing, it's key to have everyone out of the house. This might be more challenging, but creating a calm and inviting environment will help the home tour go more smoothly. If you can, take the family outside for a walk, or to a relative's house during the showing, so only your agent is in the home, or you, if you are the one showing it. Talk with your agent about the plan ahead of time, so everything will run smoothly.

Create a roadmap

Any home tour requires a plan, and the virtual home tour does too, with a few extra considerations as mentioned above for lighting, time of day, and the flow of moving through your house. Doing a practice run with your agent before showtime will help you come up with a script that will work for a successful virtual home tour. When you are in your home with your agent, be sure to keep social distancing rules in mind and wear a mask for extra safety. 

Stick to a schedule

You wouldn't just invite anyone into your home for a tour without an appointment in advance and the same goes for virtual showings. Have designated times when you are willing to open your home up virtually and stick to that timeframe, even if you are showing your home without your agent around. A virtual showing might not look the same as a live showing, but it should be taken just as seriously to ensure you find a serious buyer.