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SINGAPORE – In August, Fawzi Jaafar will enter the resale floor of the three-room Housing Board in Ang Mo Kio that he bought last month for the first time.
The 40-year-old bus driver and his wife settled on the $ 230,000 resale unit after watching a prerecorded video of their home tour filmed by the seller.
Like Fawzi, some home seekers rely solely on virtual visions to inspect potential homes before buying, as circuit breaker measures in effect until June 1 prevent people from seeing the houses in person.
Social distancing restrictions, which limit in-person home visits, contributed to a drop in the number of HDB resale flats and landless private homes sold in April.
Only 423 HDB resale floors changed hands in April, 78.3% less than the March numbers, according to estimates by real estate portal SRX published on May 8. This is lower than the 2,160 floors resold in April 2003 during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak.
Similarly, condos and private apartments resold last month fell to 309 units from 723 units in March, according to SRX estimates released Tuesday (May 12).
Fawzi and his wife had watched photos and videos of more than 20 properties since late last year. By the time they decided to list potential homes, the coronavirus had broken out and they could no longer see the houses in person.
While the couple was urgently looking to move out of their HDB rental apartment in Marsiling, their real estate agent, Ms. Susan Mariam of OrangeTee & Tie, suggested selecting your options through virtual visualization during this period.
Mr. Fawzi said, “This is a great purchase, so of course we saw the video and looked at the photos many times afterward, feeling excited and concerned.”
The department met its two main requirements: it is within its budget and needs minimal renovation, he said.
“We liked what we saw on the video and we had a good feeling about the unit, so we decided to do it,” he said.
Estate agents typically set up a video conference call on platforms like Zoom, where sellers take a real-time tour of your home while the agent introduces the home to the buyer.
Alternatively, sellers can also record a home visit video to send to the buyer.
Huttons Asia real estate agent Charlyene Choo, 35, has made at least five real-time visits through Zoom during the circuit breaker period.
She sold a unit in a new condominium development in Tampines last month after allowing her buyer to view the unit through a virtual 3D presentation. It was the first such sale in his nine-year career.
“At first, even we agents did not believe that it was possible to sell a house completely online. But over time, I realized that if the agents are fully prepared and can address all of the buyers concerns, they really don’t there’s a reason you can’t buy online, “he said.
Property agent Brandon Zheng of ERA Realty said that before the circuit breaker period, most home seekers already relied on videos and photos as the primary filter before deciding whether to physically see a unit.
The main difference now is that this is the only option available.
Zheng, who has six years of experience, recognized that buying resale units without a face-to-face visit is not for everyone.
“Property is about feeling and feeling; it is about how buyers feel when they first enter the home. Some want to know who the neighbors are, if the unit feels hot, or if you can hear the traffic noise, “he said.
It has sold three HDB resale floors during the circuit breaker period, one of which was processed after the buyer viewed a prerecorded video of the floor.
“If the buyer is urgently looking for a unit or is already planning a major hack, then they might be more willing to take the risk,” he said.
Content strategist Wang Liwei purchased a four-room HDB resale floor in front of Holland Village after seeing a video of the house unit posted on YouTube last month.
The 35-year-old bachelor had seen three other HDB units, two in person and one online, before settling on his final choice.
“The buying process is more tedious than deciding on this floor, which is not a corridor unit, is in a good location and has a view, which are my main criteria,” he said, adding that he did not mind not seeing it. in person as you intend to do major renovations and are familiar with the area.
Professor of real estate and director of the Institute of Real Estate and Urban Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Sing Tien Foo said that the period of circuit interruption has intensified the use of virtual visions as people observe distancing rules sure.
Virtual visualization practices are likely to continue in the post-Covid-19 period, he added, which could complement real estate agents’ marketing efforts.
“Singapore buyers are quite used to buying houses off the plan and are more receptive to virtual visions of new developments (which are still under construction),” he said.
But he believes home visits will return to normal after the circuit breaker measures are lifted, especially for resale properties.
He said: “Real estate agents can find more cash through face-to-face interaction to persuade potential buyers to make their home buying decisions, and the personal touch is difficult to replace with the virtual tool.”
Tips to make your home look good during virtual tours
Huttons Asia real estate agent Charlyene Choo said preparation begins even before she jumps to the video call on her phone.
Before the video call:
– Send clear, high-resolution photos of your home, along with the floor plan, to the buyer to help them get a feel for the unit.
– Clean and clean your home to make it look neat and tidy. The lids of the toilets should be placed down, make the beds and store the clothes.
During the video call:
– Hold your phone in landscape format. During the call, hold it steady and move slowly to avoid distortion or lag on the screen.
– Start from under the block or at least from the landing of your apartment to give the buyer an idea of the surroundings.
– Start with the living room, then the master bedroom, and go to all parts of your home, including the warehouse and service patio.
– As you tour, stop by and show off the best parts of your home. For example, open kitchen cabinets to show how deep or how spacious the warehouse is.
– If the Wi-Fi signal in your home is weak, consider switching to 4G.
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