Technology and Real Estate

Buying and selling real estate in Hawaii can have its challenges. One of which is when a buyer is moving to the island from the mainland, contiguous US and wants to see houses. This is not as easy to do when you are not in the state. It’s a great excuse for a vacation, but what if you can’t take time off or the costs of looking around at properties prohibit the decisions? This is where the advance of technology has really come into play.

Of course, the clients can see the listings populated on the companies web sites and places like Zillow, but is the data accurate? Lots of times the sites just regurgitate the data, and it’s not always correct. I have received numerous calls on a property that show half of the value from a posting error on some of the sites. Anyone who has been looking around sees a $300K price for a gorgeous property that is really listed at $600K and thinks what a great buy. This comes in addition to sites making listings look like they are available when they have either been sold or are now under contract. There is no real substitute for an on site agent that can check the data with the listings services and confirm if it’s correct or not.

Currently, I have a military buyer who is moving to Hawaii and needs to see some properties but can’t come out. He is in training and can’t get the leave since he is PCS’ing to his new duty station in Hawaii. They also need to get their child in school, so picking a location will dictate the school start dates. Thankfully, the client has an iPhone and we will be able to FaceTime today at the property. As the agent in the

As the agent in the state, I can video chat with the client and basically give them the tour as if they were standing in the property with me. This is also helpful as I can be their eyes and ears and look around physically at things they might not be able to view perfectly.

Obviously, nothing is better than physically being able to look at the property you might want to purchase, but based on circumstances this is a pretty good option. As a local agent with knowledge about the community, I have the ability to discuss beaches, shopping, placement of the schools and more. I can also give them a video tour of the area as if they were in the car with me driving around.

Technology really has made a huge difference to clients looking to purchase a home from out of state to be able to work with their agent and find their dream home.