I have had the pleasure of assisting home buyers buying a home SIGHT UNSEEN! This does happen successfully!!! But here are some important helpful tips to make your experience a great one too!
1) Leverage the knowledge of a LOCAL realtor. You most definitely want an agent that is available and knowledgeable. Don't leave this to chance. Read agent bios, so who has been a longtime native to that area. Someone who can share information on local venues and access to items important to you and your family.
2) Choose an agent who can offer you MULTIPLE ways to view. You don't necessarily want the top busy one at some office for this task. You want an agent who has TIME, ENERGY, AND YOUR INTERESTS AT HEART! Shopping sight unseen takes more time! Agents must video the property, be able to upload it to a site for you to click (not all areas necessarily have great wifi services or cell service so you can't rely on a cell phone!) and you will want them to have good tools that don't leave you watching a rocky video. A good agent will need to be prepared or familiar with creating a private link to YOUTUBE or some platform for you to have a private viewing if its not possible to do a live one. I live in WV and you can't rely that facetime will be available at the base of the hollow or top of the mountain!
3)Research and use a top home inspector! Your agent will be a wealth of knowledge on local inspectors, but check out their reviews, speak with past clients and ask what protections they can offer you. You will want someone to be through and AGILE. Can he crawl into the tight spaces, get into the attic space, provide you with clear photos and information. Lastly, make sure your agent can join them for this inspection to give you another possible live video of what is shared about the property to the agent at the summary viewing.
4) Get a floor plan, parcel maps, and video of the SURROUNDING AREAS! A good agent should have no issue looking this information up! But don't forget to request videos of the drive to the property, surrounding neighboring homes etc. You will want to see your views! House floor plans are also helpful forgetting mental picture of a home layout.
Buying a home sight unseen can be scary, but these tips will help to make it dooable! We are truly blessed to live in a time period with such abilities! If you are looking in the Mid-Ohio Valley area for a home...you know what to do! Call me today!
Dona Cronin
Salesperson/Realtor
304-488-7057
Broker: Marian DuVall