Digital Options When Buying or Selling a Home
- Adam Garrett
- Jul 27, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 20
The digital options today with video, documents, & education in the home buying & selling process are extensive. Whether viewing a property or looking at forms together, there are plenty of options. I have helped buyers and sellers in other states successfully buy and sell properties. In addition to a visual image of a home, I also assist digitally with your home search and with paperwork, which can almost always be done entirely online (the few cases where it can't is when wet signatures are required and similar situations with certain sellers).
How Can Video be Used in Buying?
With buyers, I have helped buyers purchase with sight unseen where they just see my video showings of properties. In some cases out of town buyers opt to visit SE VA for showings, and sometimes it has been a combination of both video and visits. In addition to showings, I have also videoed or taken pictures of inspections for buyers with home inspectors and termite/moisture inspectors if they couldn't make it. Video walkthroughs are especially helpful with matters that the pictures online don't show, whether there are only a few pictures online or there are negatives that were purposely excluded from any pictures. Even with Matterport technology, there are many angles of the property that are still missed every time, such as inside kitchen cabinets, underneath sinks, close-ups of labels of appliances & HVAC, differences in the property from when the pictures were taken such as if pictures were taken on a rainy day or if a showing is during a rainy day, etcetera.
Related: Adam Garrett's Video Visuals for Out of Town Buyers/Sellers
Why Adam likes to ask listing agents/sellers about video/pictures prior to showings
How Can Video be Used in Selling?
For sellers, I can check on work done by contractors and take pictures of that work, monitor the home periodically during temperatures that might freeze pipes and following hurricanes, etc. I can help organize contractors to work on homes to get them to a place to sell for top dollar, or assist with contractors for work following inspections.
Options for Video
For live video, buyers & sellers can use Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, or Facebook, all of which included group video chat if you would like to include anyone else such as family members who are advising you even if they are not going to live there. I offer HD recorded footage with combined with live footage on a separate camera phone since recordings on streamed footage aren't as high quality as native recorded footage. The quality of the camera phones used can have a major impact. I use a Samsung Galaxy S-22 Ultra & a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra at the time of this publication. I also have separate lights (including attachments & more powerful lights including but not limited to the brightest flashlight sold, the Imalent MS18) & a stabilizer used to enhance showings.
A number of programs, Zoom included, allow for agents to share their screen with clients. The opposite is true as well, where clients can share their screen. If a buyer or seller isn't tech savvy, remote desktop is also an option via Zoom.
Related:
Tutorials on How to Use Authentisign & Adobe PDF Reader to Digitally Sign Documents
Different agents use different methods of signatures, from PDF reader to Authentisign or Docusign. In SE VA, the primary method used across most MLS is Authentisign, with an option for agents built into the local MLS portals.
1. How to Sign Using Authentisign
In SE VA, your primary signings will be typically using Authentisign.
2. How to Sign Using PDF Reader
The below isn't typically used, but is a solid option if you have a short document available via PDF where your agent isn't getting you an Authentisign version quickly, a closing company that sends you a PDF to sign, or if you have a contractor that doesn't have any digital options.
Examples of Digital Assistance for Buyers
Examples of Digital Assistance for Sellers
What About Clients Who Prefer to Avoid Digital Options?
While I don't recommend it, it's certainly possible, especially for in town buyers and sellers, to avoid digital signatures themselves and sign things by hand. In order to accommodate scenarios like that, my office locations and alternative locations throughout my coverage area can be beneficial, as well as my portable printer if not in a location with a printer & if revisions are needed from my faster printer in my home office, office, or alternative office (i.e. a library). If doing things the old fashioned way, I would recommend being in town throughout much of the transaction while the home is on the market, as it's best to respond quickly to offers, who may withdraw at any time.
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