Virtual Showings, The New Normal

‍Video Chat in Real Estate

But not all is lost. The latest advances in video chat technology are enabling forward-thinking realtors to continue showing off their wares and closing deals, even when they can’t meet buyers in the flesh. Innovative real-estate agents are leveraging live chat technology, and a new willingness to conduct remote business, to show real-estate to potential buyers, conduct meetings and close deals -- and according to the numbers, it’s working.

Corona or no corona, the real estate market is on fire. Data from Realtor.com shows that median prices are rising, inventory is down and average time on market is shrinking. All this means that there’s plenty of business out there for realtors who have the right video chat platform in their sales arsenal.

Showing Property Using Video Chat

Virtual showings are real-time scheduled property showings in which the real estate agent is on the property alone, while the prospective buyers can be anywhere in the world. Virtual showings  leverage remote video chat capabilities to show prospective buyers the property without them actually having to physically be there. Using video chat, real estate agents can literally take interested parties on a digital showing of the house. 

While not exactly the same as seeing a property ‘in real life’, virtual showings give real estate the option of offering a one-on-one, personalized tour of the property.  When the option to physically show prospective buyers a property is off the table, virtual showings are the next best thing. 

Although many folks might hesitate to put down the significant monetary resources required to purchase real estate without seeing it for themselves, virtual showings definitely help move the process along. While the real estate agent walks through the property, potential buyers can see the properties strengths and weaknesses, ask questions and get a better idea of whether it’s a match or not.

Generating Leads via Video Chat

Believe it or not, during the times of Covid-19 it may be easier to generate leads than you think. Prospective buyers are looking at real estate websites -- like your own -- and not visiting offices. Advanced video chat platforms empower 1-click web chat capabilities on any page of your website. Clients can instantly initiate a conversation with one of your reps in just one click. Using embedded video chat on your website transforms it from a passive property display, into an advanced proactive lead generator.

‍

‍

Handling the Paperwork via Video Chat

 As you already know, when it comes to buying and selling real estate, the showing is the easy part. The real work starts only once you’ve found a property that your client wants to buy. Lawyers need to be consulted, financiers need to be sourced, documents need to be sound, while appraisers and other stakeholders all need to be consulted throughout the entire process. 

Video chat technology simplifies every part of this process. Everyone who needs to be involved -- from lawyers, to appraisers, buyers, sellers and bankers -- can quickly take part in a video chat session and weigh in on their respective angles. All this can all be done remotely, without having to leave the house and confront the realities of the pandemic. 

File sharing and screen sharing are two collaboration features included in many of the more advanced video chat solutions. File sharing makes it easy to quickly send important documents back and forth, so that everyone can sign the dotted lines when needed. Screen sharing makes it easy to go over blueprints, contracts and other legal documents to make sure that everyone’s on the same page.

Benefits of Video Chat for Real Estate

1. Safety first. With the Covid-19 virus still raging, it’s definitely safer to keep meetings in enclosed places down to a minimum. Remote meetings make it possible to have an intimate meeting without actually meeting in person. Virtual showings offer a safe alternative through which properties can still be shown without endangering sellers or buyers.
2. Time savings. Real estate sales can take a long time and require many, many in person meetings and physical showings are very time-consuming. During normal showings, sellers need to get themselves and their pets out of the house. Both buyers and real estate agents need to commute to the property, while buyers might need to take precious time off work to accommodate the agent’s schedule.

By conducting all meetings and showings by video chat, it’s possible to save tons of time for buyers, sellers and agents alike. 

3. Show more properties. Buying a new property is no small decision. Many times, buyers want to see as many properties as possible, but the time required to see each one is a major factor. With virtual showings, time is on their side. They can see properties without commuting and take in a showing in less than an hour. The efficiency of virtual showings means that buyers can see many more properties before deciding which one they want to buy.
4. Appeal to a wider audience. Virtual showings and remote meetings make it possible to sell to someone thousands of miles away as easily as you’d sell to someone just a few miles away.

Consolto’s Video Chat Solution for Real Estate Agents

Consolto’s video chat platform was built to simplify, organize and enhance sales and business over the internet. 

• 1-click video conferencing. Set up your website with easy to use video chat capabilities. Customize the look and feel of the video widget on your website to suit the look and feel of your brand. 1-click video conferencing makes it simple for visitors browsing your listings to instantly contact a rep once they find a property they like.
• Scheduling.  Advanced scheduling features mean that you’ll never miss a lead. If they don’t have time or you’re not available while they’re on the website, prospective clients can easily set up a time to speak during your working hours.
• File transfer. Intuitive, drag and drop file sharing makes it easy to collaborate and send and receive pictures, contracts and more.  
• Live chat. Consolto isn’t just about video chat, it’s about making remote communication as easy as possible. That’s why live chat is available for those times when it just doesn’t make sense to video chat.
• Multi agents. Choose to have as many seats as you want on your Consolto widget. You can have a different agent per each page -- for example, your condominium expert can man the condominiums listing pages -- or implement shift work to empower 24/7 availability. Consolto makes it easy to track the performance of each one of your agents so that you can manage and track each agent’s work. 

With the pandemic a fact of our lives for the foreseeable future, real estate agents need new ways to find leads, conduct meetings and show properties. New, advanced video chat solutions go beyond communication, delivering an impressive array of collaboration and sales tools that empower anyone to turn their website into a fully-featured office. Consolto’s solution streamlines the entire business process, transforming a real estate website into a real-time lead generator. Powerful collaboration tools make it easy to work together remotely, while high quality video streaming empowers virtual showings that help to close the deal. 

‍