As COVID-19 continues to impact every aspect of life, Tri-Valley real estate professionals have had to change how they show homes. Technology now allows potential buyers to see homes and agents to market their listings without anyone ever having to enter the seller's home.
"Once real estate and real estate photographers were deemed essential business, we have offered professional photography, aerial drone, and 3D WalkThrough Tours, and we have seen a dramatic increase in the use of 3D and video for agents to offer virtual open houses," said Tim Denbo, president/CEO of Virtual Tour Cafe based in Pleasanton.
Virtual showings are nothing new to the real estate world, but due to COVID-19, more REALTORS and brokers are adopting it.
"While virtual tours have been used to help market listings for the past 20-plus years, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting shelter-in-place around the country has given new rise to the use of virtual tours and other virtual marketing tools," Denbo said. "As a national do-it-yourself subscription service, we immediately saw an increase in inquiries from associations, brokers, and agents using our online services around the country."