How to Buy and Sell Real Estate in the Digital World

By Terry Jaillet, Our City Media.  May Edition page 28 - 29

Rose & Dean Sklar are your trusted real estate advisors, your council. Leveraging our network and our technology to get real results in this unprecedented time. 

You and Dean have been leaders in the Weston Real Estate market for over ten years. Tell us how the Coronavirus crisis has impacted the Weston market.

As we work through our new normal, The Sklar team remains hopeful that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. COVID-19 is an unprecedented situation and we as a world will need to transition to our new normal. The Sklar Team is embracing this new virtual world, filled with Zoom Meetings, virtual showings and digital marketing. There will be benefits to all industries as we learn and adapt to living and working in a more virtual world. The Weston market in particular is still experiencing closings and showings, as real estate is and has been deemed essential. All industries involved in the transaction of this new normal have quickly adapted utilizing virtual meeting technology, wiring of funds, traveling notaries, facetime access to properties for appraisers and more. Our Weston community has been faring well in this crisis as we Floridians are used to hurricane preparation and hunkering down at home. We are resilient and will bounce back to our new normal.

Technology is more important now than ever before in marketing a home. What technologies are you using to help buyers and sellers today? 

With an eye on technology, The Sklar Team has been incorporating 3D interactive tours and/or walkthrough video tours on many of our properties. They are available online, via our extensive internet websites, social media channels and in our constant contact newsletters. We continue to recommend renovation and Staging coupled with targeted social media posts based on big data. We can provide Virtual Staging for vacant homes and Facebook Live to promote our listings Anytime. 

With Zoom listing appointments and virtual tours now the standard, is staging a home still important?

We examine whether staging or not on a case by case evaluation. Staging is always a wonderful enhancement that will speed up the time a property stays on the market. The first impression is vital. Enhancing the photos will always get more eyes on the property and more internet hits. We are currently using a lot of 3D tours to allow the buyer to walk through the property in real time. We have the technology to virtually add furniture, especially helpful in this current climate where we cannot enter the home physically. We still feel that staging is a big part of attracting the buyers and to continue to view and search additional photos as opposed to leaving and writing your home off their list. Our team is hard at work getting comfortable with the virtual world as we institute techniques we always wanted to do and now have the time to learn and practice. Many of these new practices we will incorporate into our new normal and add them to our must have marketing toolbox as we access the return on these new strategies and platforms moving forward. 

It is a time of unprecedented anxiety. What advice do you give to current or potential homeowners who are concerned about uncertainty in the market?

The best advice is to remember, this is a moment in time, almost like a snowstorm. We are in the storm, it will eventually melt and we as a world, will have to learn to live with the new normal. In challenging times like these, we will learn to adapt, embrace the technology, We will see who is wearing pants when the tide goes out. It will be those who leaned in and found the new and changing ways to sell in this new virtual world. 

How do homeowners sell their homes in this environment? What should you do differently than before?

In order to sell your home in this new environment, some of the rules remain the same. Prepare the home, declutter, paint, neutralize and thoroughly clean. Power price to sell, not to test the market. Most importantly, today, video and or 3D tours are of utmost importance. These platforms get the buyer inside the home in real time and many sales have been made using only virtual photography, floor plans and neighborhood videos. 

What about buying a home? Is this a good time to buy?

Yes, rates are at historical lows. Anyone who is still currently on the market and allowing showings is most likely motivated. Knowing that real estate is and will always be a safe investment long term. Brick and mortar will always be a great investment. It may fluctuate, but historically always goes up. Today the stock market can be a scary place, and the only commodity you can buy and enjoy is real estate. 

Tell me about virtual closings? Do you work with lenders and title companies with remote capabilities?

All of our lenders, title companies, inspectors and more have all stepped up to the plate, embraced the technology and are getting deals closed. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Blue Jeans, notary at curbside, wires, CDC guidelines gloves, booties and mask. We are all aligned as one virtual team to get the job done safely and efficiently. 

 What is your prediction for real estate's future? How will we be buying and selling homes in six months, 12 months or three years from now? 

Our predictions for buying and selling in the future will be changing. When I began my real estate career in the 1980s, we had to jump to computer accessibility with photography as the paramount staple. Then came staging and renovation due to the influx of HGTV and other shows. Now, we are entering the digital explosion. Virtual staging, virtual open houses, zoom listing and buyer consultations appointments, digital postcards and brochures. All of these related industries must now embrace the technology, the videography and the virtual reality of our future in real estate. With a cure for COVID-19, we are optimistic that we will get back to our new normal and Pent up demand will be paramount.  People who have been home truly feeling their lack of space and needs, will now decide that they want a bigger yard, home office, home gym or a more walkable lifestyle. School starts will not be a factor this year, due to the fact that most counties are putting school learning online. Prediction: Fall and winter real estate in 2020 will be very strong. 

What is the Sklar Team's story?

We arrived in South Florida in 2001 and discovered the secret sauce to building our business was good old fashioned hard work. Making connections, attending community events and building relationships are paramount. Embracing change and technology along the way has helped us achieve a stronghold in the Weston real estate market. Over the years, we began to see a trend of our buyer pool moving East. We know we will be able to better serve our clients with two offices. One in Weston and our other new office on Las Olas Blvd in Fort Lauderdale. Our Team provides personal boutique style service to our clients backed by the Global market Leader Coldwell Banker Realty.