Buying A Home During The Coronavirus Pandemic

From virtual showings to online notaries, the homebuying process is finally going digital

Coronavirus might be forcing the long-predicted digital revolution in the real estate transaction

Boston-area realtor Melony Swasey was in the process of closing on a home when the spread of COVID-19 forced state courts to close without notice. Court buildings hold many registries and deeds needed to record the sale of a house.

“We weren’t sure as of first thing in the morning whether we were going to be able to complete the closing,” she said. “We were able to record the closing electronically because our attorney has that technology. The state was allowing limited electronic recordings yesterday so ours got through.”

Situations like this are playing out all over North America. Canadian real estate professionals are having to find innovative ways to finish transactions that were already underway and create a path forward for future sales.

Some consider the traditional real estate transaction to be an antiqued process that relies on redundant paperwork and in-person meetings for things like notarizing paperwork, appraisal, inspection, and final walkthroughs. None of those elements allow for easy social distancing.

Fortunately for the real estate industry and future home buyers, digital technology can solve these problems. The industry has been slow to adopt these technologies, relying on dated traditional methods, but COVID-19 has turned digital technologies from a novelty into a necessity, and it could end up being what finally forces the real estate industry into the digital age.

“We’ve been working on a lot of these technologies and integrating them into our business [prior to the pandemic],” says Ben Nicholson, chief operating officer of homebuilder Janssen Homes. “We always felt like this was where the industry was going long term. I think this situation has just created a catalyst to move forward even more aggressively.”

Virtual 3D home tours have become a staple of home shopping since the outbreak of the pandemic. Zillow allows sellers, agents, landlords, and property managers to create 3D home tours using a panoramic photo taken on a smart phone. The company reported a near doubling of the number of 3D tours created in the week after the pandemic took hold, and a one-day jump of 326 percent on March 20.

Janssen Homes has digital tools for people buying a custom home. Customers can design their homes and preview existing homes using a digital tools, look at a map of where their house falls in a community, and watch videos of the construction site as the build progresses.

As well agents that work with Janssen Homes are doing initial showings over video chat services like FaceTime or Zoom, and in-person visits by appointment are still available for all showrooms with additional cleaning precautions and one to one tours.

We’ve got lots of digital options available for both home buyers on available homes and building your next dream home. Contact us today and we can discuss the digital tools and options available via conference call or Zoom video call.

Three Major Decorating Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Get solutions to the challenges that cause many homeowners to put off interior design projects

A huge reason many people don’t get around to tackling a decorating project is because they’re afraid to make a costly mistake. To give you the confidence to start your own dream design, I’ve put together a list of seven major design mistakes that can affect your entire project, along with photos of rooms that do it right. Browse these for guidance and ideas, and then look for an interior designer who’s in tune with your vision and can help make your dreams a reality.

1. Choosing Paint First

While paint is in many ways one of the biggest parts of your design (particularly in terms of pure square footage), that doesn’t mean it should necessarily be the first thing you pick. For example, the well-coordinated furnishings and decor in this room by Design No. 5 could work with a number of paint colours.

Solution: Once you’ve settled on some of your essential fabric furnishings (rugs, pillows, draperies, upholstery), it’s relatively easy to pick a coordinating color from a fan deck or set of paint chips. Finding fabrics you truly love after already committing to a paint scheme is much tougher.

2. Buying Furniture Without Measuring

It’s hard to judge the scale of furniture when it’s sitting on a vast showroom floor. That’s why homeowners are sometimes shocked to find that the beautiful sectional or coffee table they saw in a showroom looks as though it eats up the entire room when it’s sitting in their living room.

Solution: If you know what measurements you’re shopping for, you can let the cold hard numbers guide you when your eyes might be playing tricks. Measure (or even mark with tape) the area available for each major piece so that you can figure out an acceptable size range. Bring these measurements with you when furniture shopping and stick to them. If you fall in love with something out of your size range, ask if it comes in different sizes, or have it measured and bring the measurements home to tape off in your space to make sure it’s a size you are happy with.

3. Never Making a Bold Choice

While nobody wants to spend an extra weekend painting over last weekend’s mistake, being fearful of ever making an adventurous decision can result in a space that feels bland or unsatisfying. In contrast, this bedroom by Slightly Quirky Ltd. shows the excitement that a feature wall and bold accent colours can bring to a room.

Solution: Take a risk every now and then. Rest assured that if you do choose a dramatic wall treatment, you can always layer over it with light and breezy pieces (such as white wall art or neutral-colored furniture) to tame the look until it feels livable. And if you ultimately grow tired of it, you can change it someday.

Janssen Homes Best Of Cochrane Referral Bonus

Did you hear about our special Referral Bonus? When you refer Janssen Homes to your friends and family, you will receive a "Best of Cochrane" gift basket. We want your friends and family to discover some of Cochrane's best venues on us. Contact us to find out more.

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