Online property viewings are here to stay in the post-pandemic era

Real Estate

Team MONEYME|19 July 2022| 3-minute read

Australia’s booster program has begun. All Australians who are 18 years and over can now receive a third shot six months out from their second jab, sending Australia’s post-pandemic recovery into the next gear. 

The shift means some pandemic practices in the property sector will be confined to history, but others are here to stay. 

Scott McElroy, principal director of Belle Property Melbourne said online auctions, viewings, and marketing had become a key part of the industry. 

“The digitisation of communication, whether it be with buyers, sellers, tenants, landlords, it’s going to continue on,” he said. “Years ago there’s no way someone would have bought a property sight unseen but now they’re not really doing it sight unseen, are they?”

Adopting a hybrid advertising model

Lockdowns paused all in-person showings for a lot of the country but moving forward real estate agents are keen to adopt a hybrid model.

Director and chief auctioneer at Ray White Cheltenham Kevin Chokshi said, “offering that online component is now more of an add-on than a necessity”. 

The digital add-ons help real estate agents tell who is serious about a property quickly, said Michael Pizzata, residential sales agent at Raine & Horne Marrickville.

“It really adds value to the campaign, because it basically eliminates the first consultation where people are going, ‘well is it suitable for me’?”

Preparing a property for online viewings

To captivate an online audience Pizzata pays close attention to the presentation of the property.

“People walk in and automatically they’re looking for the negative features,” he said. “There are so many of those things that you can eliminate.” 

Chokshi said real estate agents had to become digitally savvy to give themselves an advantage against others in the market.

“The lighting is crucial,” said Chokshi. “If it looks dark it’s not going to be enticing for the buyer.”

In October Chokshi produced a 13-minute online walkthrough for Block 2021 contestants Josh and Luke. Using up-scaled production Chokshi walks viewers through the property, one room at a time offering details on key materials, utilities, and fixtures.

Why offer physical and online viewings?

There were some people bidding at the 2021 Block auction finale who had never seen the property in person.

“It expands your market,” said Chokshi. “If I didn’t have the option of them being able to get the full experience through an online format, then essentially, those buyers wouldn’t even be competing.”

McElroy said the hybrid advertising model is a win for both against and vendors. “You need to survey as many people as you can to get a good reference point to what something is really worth.”

“It’s beneficial to our vendors too because they’re getting more people through,” he said.

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