The lockdown has placed immense pressure on the real estate industry to be innovate and find new ways to sell homes without meeting face-to-face.
Though challenging, real estate agents are still finding digital ways to line-up deals from home that can be finalised when the lockdown is lifted.
“We have found that our agents are using all sorts of innovative ways to try and show homes virtually.
“There have been a few success stories over this time, with a few sales that will go ahead once the Deeds Office reopens thanks to virtual show homes and other forms of digital advertising.
“But, having said that, this use of technology has been very much the exception rather than the norm.
“It certainly does help to showcase a home and garner interest, but most buyers want to experience a home with all their senses rather than just having a visual experience of the home before they make such a big financial commitment,” explained regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett.
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While successfully completing a sale via purely digital means may be occasional and rare, agents are still able to use technology to build relationships with clients and line-up potential buyers who might make an offer after seeing the home once lockdown is lifted.
Apart from lining up potential sales, Goslett highlighted the fact that now is the best time for agents to learn new skills in order to provide a better service to their customers.
“Since our agents will be house-bound during this lockdown, we’ve released a plethora of online-based training courses, webinars and conference calls so that our agents have the opportunity to upskill and refresh over this time.
“We have also opened up our internal training platform to the public so that anyone who wants to explore the RE/MAX offering may freely do so,” he added.
Finally, in an effort to share knowledge and inspiration to all South Africans who have to push through these challenging times, RE/MAX of Southern Africa arranged for top-notch speakers to provide free online inspirational talks for both real estate agents and the greater public.
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