{"id":68282,"date":"2020-03-23T15:13:16","date_gmt":"2020-03-23T22:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redfindevelop.wpengine.com\/blog\/?p=68282"},"modified":"2020-10-07T13:49:38","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T20:49:38","slug":"virtual-home-tours-increase-amid-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/virtual-home-tours-increase-amid-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Video Home Tour Requests Soar Nearly 500% in One Week"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the coronavirus upends the buying process, house hunters are increasingly relying on Redfin\u2019s virtual technology for viewing and closing on homes.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/h2>\n

Redfin saw a 494% increase in requests for agent-led video home tours last week, following an 80% increase the prior week, as homebuyers began relying heavily on virtual viewings amid the coronavirus outbreak. <\/span>As of yesterday, 18.9% of tour requests made on Redfin.com were video-chat tour requests, up from 0.2% at the beginning of March\u2014a 94-fold increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Along with live video-chat tours, prospective buyers can see the inside of nearly any Redfin-listed home with <\/span>three-dimensional scans<\/span><\/a>, powered by <\/span>Matterport<\/span><\/a>. Views of these 3D walkthroughs\u2014which have been available for Redfin-listed homes since 2014\u2014are up 9% in March as compared to February. Redfin expects to host nearly half a million of these virtual open houses this month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of real estate has come earlier than any of us could have anticipated,\u201d said Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman<\/a>. \u201cThe way things are during the pandemic won\u2019t last forever, but at the end of all this, things won\u2019t go back to the way they were either. We hope we\u2019re well prepared.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

On March 3, Redfin updated its website to encourage buyers to ask for video-chat tours from agents. Customers can choose this option with a single click, and can select the video-chat app of their choice. They can also review and sign their purchase contracts electronically; in states where the law allows it, customers using Redfin\u2019s mortgage<\/a> and title service can close electronically.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are being forced to adjust their lifestyles as a result of the coronavirus outbreak and it could widely influence the nature of how buyers tour homes in the future,” said Seattle Redfin associate agent Edward Winkle. \u201cWe\u2019re already seeing an upswing in video tours, and that trend will likely continue even when COVID-19 is in the past.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Winkle has led three video home tours since the coronavirus outbreak started and said all have led to offers.<\/span><\/p>\n

“During video tours, I become the eye of the buyer,” said Indianapolis Redfin agent <\/span>Jill Thompson<\/span><\/a>. “I’m talking more than I would on a traditional tour, pointing out things that would be obvious in-person but that aren’t as clear through a camera lens, like the quality of workmanship on any repairs, or whether or not a room would fit a king-size bed.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Other steps Redfin is taking<\/b><\/h2>\n