Compass Realtor Mark Pruner explores how buyers can find a home from afar
Would you buy a house without ever stepping foot on the property? My client did, and it wasn’t as crazy as you might think. In 2024, there are a variety of ways for a buyer to get a good feel for the property without ever actually visiting the property. First, we have lots of websites that will show you the pictures of the property both inside and outside by professional photographers. You can see what each of the principal rooms looks like. Frequently, there are also floor plans. What can be handy is to print out the floor plans and figure out where each picture was taken e.g., front of kitchen looking out to the backyard. This gives you a much better feel of the flow of the house. Some listings will have virtual tour videos, but most of them are of the “Ken Burns type.” This consists of a video where one room’s photo fades into another and is often accompanied by cheesy music. (I mute the speakers, so I can concentrate on the house.)
The next step up are the short videos strung together, often these are short drone videos of the exterior. Once again, I mute speakers and also slow the video down to 25% of normal speed and pause the video as necessary. This way, I can look at the neighborhood, when the video zooms out.
A company called Matterport also does 3D renderings of the floor plan, but I always end up bumping into walls when I try to navigate the house. The better solution is a FaceTime video call with my client at the property. Whenever possible, I try to use the house’s Wi-Fi for smoother, higher-def video. Also, check out Bing map’s bird’s-eye view and Google Earth to get a 3D view of the area. Then check the town’s aerial and GIS maps showing the property lines and the location of wetlands and floodplains. After that, you should pay particular attention to the assessor’s field card and the property disclosures for information on renovations and issues with the house. Best of all is to have a local family member or friend take a look at the house during the FaceTime visit. What doesn’t show up well are worn areas, odors and neighborhood noise and traffic. All of these your agent and friend can tell you about.
If you can’t be there, friends and video can be a big help. 203-969-7900 cell, mark.pruner@compass.com