A survey by virtual property viewing platform, U-See Homes, found that homes are selling at such a knot rate under current market conditions, many potential buyers are even struggling to get to a scheduled visit before the property is put up for sale. .
U-See surveyed 1,213 recent UK buyers, who bought in the last six months, about their experience of the home viewing process.
They first asked if the buyers lost on an initial viewing of the property because the property had been bid between them by scheduling the viewing and having it walk through the front door.
51% of buyers said they had experienced this, with 33% seeing it happen with up to a quarter of their scheduled views.
However, 9% didn’t make it through the door for between a quarter and half of their planned visits, while a further 9% missed out on half or more of the properties they planned to visit.
U-See Homes also asked if the same thing happened with homes they initially got to see but didn’t see a second time because the home was on offer. before they can go back.
38% of buyers said this had been an issue, with 15% saying it had happened on at least a quarter of their secondary views.
U-See Homes says almost half (48%) of UK buyers would be happy to submit an offer after initially viewing a property in person with a second visit via a virtual guided tour.
36% said a virtual guided tour would have saved them from scheduling unnecessary visits, leaving them open to pursuing properties that suited them and potentially getting in before being beaten to death.
Perhaps most surprisingly, 16% of buyers would bid on a property they liked after viewing it virtually and not seeing it in person.
Simon Dempsey, Head of Marketing, said:
“Homes are selling like hotcakes in today’s market and if you’re lucky enough to reach the offer stage, chances are you’ll have stiff competition from a number of other buyers. greedy.
For more than half of homebuyers, the initial task of getting a foot in the door proves to be too much of a hurdle, and many find that the properties they planned to view fly away before they’ve even had the chance. chance to see them.
“Virtual tours can be a vital resource in overcoming this current real estate market pitfall, allowing you to get a really good feel for a home before viewing, or as a follow-up to an initial viewing to reconfirm your feelings.
“Of course, while virtual viewings can streamline the process, you have to get to that all-important physical viewing first, which also proves to be a tricky question. That said, 16% of buyers would be willing to submit an offer without first seeing the home in person – and even we’re a little surprised by that.
