Nearly Half Of Offers Are Being Made Sight Unseen

When COVID-19 first hit, much of the country was under stay-at-home orders. This made it very difficult and nearly impossible for buyers to get out and see potential homes in person. And while stay-at-home orders have been lifted in most places, many buyers are still wary about hitting open houses or touring homes in person. Before 2020, it was rare for offers being made sight unseen.

But, as it turns out, that’s not stopping them from actually buying homes.

In our area, real estate agents & brokerages were considered “essential business”.  We had rules to follow for the COVID-19 and learned new ways to market our properties and serve our buyers.  Thanks to video technology like FaceTime tours, buyers are able to get an inside look at properties—without having to physically see the property in person. And for many buyers, that’s enough; according to Redfin data (outlined in a recent article in REALTOR Magazine). Forty five (45) percent of buyers who purchased a home in the past year made an offer on the property without ever seeing it in person. This is the highest percentage since the brokerage started collecting the data in 2015 (and up from 28 percent in 2019).

Here is in the Gainesville FL area, our market is busy and a low inventory seller’s market.  This has caused multiple offers on most properties priced under $300K.  I know real estate info is truly LOCAL, so I wanted to share that for The Bohn Team, we mastered doing live/video tours of homes for our buyers.  We have written offers on homes for our buyers and the offers being made sight unseen.

The Takeaway:

So, what does that mean for you? If you’re not comfortable touring properties in person just yet, that’s ok! A huge percentage of buyers are navigating the home buying process without ever stepping foot into their soon-to-be homes. Talk to your real estate agent about alternate options, like video tours—and start finding the perfect home.

-The Bohn Team wants to be YOUR Realtor in the Gainesville FL area!