I never imagined it would be possible to move into a new house without physically visiting it first. I lived in Boston and had to move to California. Although I was excited to start a new phase of my life, the thought of the gruesome and tiring process of house hunting made me worried.
For me, the sure-shot way was to sift through daily newspapers to find houses and apartments. But, as the technology had evolved right in front of my eyes, I knew it could help me find a new place to live.
So, once I dived into the house hunt journey, I truly understood how technology, primarily apps and websites, makes the whole process smooth and effective. Below, I’ll share a few ways technology has revolutionized how we search for our dream house.
Online Home Search
Today, we can search for different houses or apartments just like we search for products in e-commerce stores. Real estate applications like Zillow have millions of houses listed for buying, selling, or renting.
Well, I know it can be a tiresome and time-consuming process to evaluate all the listings. However, such apps offer multiple filters to narrow down the options. For instance, I wanted a single-story, two-bedroom house with a small backyard.
Now, manually finding such houses that meet my requirements would’ve taken hours. But with the help of filters, it only took seconds to narrow down all the options. Plus, most of these apps also notify users about similar listings that enter the market.
Another quite useful feature was the additional information about the listings.
Neighborhood details like nearby clinics, parks, schools, police stations, grocery stores, and more are mentioned for most listings, which makes the process a lot easier. Additionally, you can also read reviews to find out what sort of experience people living nearby or in that neighborhood have.
All in all, real estate apps like Zillow, Realtor.com, and more, offer complete information that buyers want.
Virtual Home Tours
I found some houses that met my requirements and finalized those options. Although I saw photos, I didn’t want to make a final decision before visiting and inspecting them. And for that, I thought I had to go all the way to California to analyze their condition.
However, I was surprised to know that I didn’t need to be physically present for a house tour. Instead, it could virtually tour the house on a real estate application and experience it.
Honestly speaking, it was a unique experience, and it felt like I was actually walking around the house and inspecting it. I could zoom in/out and have a 360-degree view to understand the surroundings. The virtual tour was nothing short of a physical experience, and helped me decide on my dream house.
Having said that, there’s one thing you should be mindful of before a virtual tour.
It’s best to virtually tour a house on a reliable and swift internet connection. The video quality is crucial in virtual tours. And if it drops, you may not get any idea about the house’s condition from a blurry video.
As I was already subscribed to one of the blazing-fast Spectrum Internet Plans, I seamlessly toured houses without dropping quality or lagging videos. So, always ensure your internet connection is up for the task before you book any virtual home tour.
Virtual House Assessment
I would’ve surely inspected the house if I had the chance. But since I had virtually toured the house, I couldn’t do it. However, it wasn’t a big problem since I had the option of a virtual house assessment. With this feature, I could ask for HD-quality images and videos of the house to examine its condition.
Other than this, I also got help from house inspectors who inspected the house on my behalf. These inspectors can share a detailed report of their findings and enlighten you about the potential issues and repairs needed to be done.
Also, I directly communicated with the owner and the real estate agency that listed it on the app. I asked a few questions and got them answered, which was really reassuring and helped me make a decision.
To wind up, I believe technology has really made it easier for people like us who don’t have time to visit a new state or city and find a house. I didn’t think it was possible until I found out how convenient the whole process was.
So, if you ever need to find a house, try getting help from technology, as it makes the whole process enjoyable. Also, I’ve mentioned the real estate apps I took help from below:
- Zillow
- Realtor.com
- Redfin
- Xome
