Tips for Buying a House Sight Unseen

As warmer spring weather moves in, the real estate industry is on fire. Millions of Americans are itching to relocate, which has ignited the seller’s market—moving closer to family or nature, away from crowded metro areas, or into a bigger work-from-home space.

And, because buyer competition and demand are at a record high, with inventory low, many home buyers are willing to buy a home unseen to snatch up a property off the market even more quickly. Before you take that risk, however, here are a few tips to consider as a safety net of protection during the process. We will go down that path a little later. First, let’s discuss what exactly involves buying a house sight unseen. 

What’s Buying A House Sight Unseen?

Also known as buying a home remotely or buying a house virtually, buying a house sight unseen occurs when a homebuyer leaps to acquiring a piece of real estate without walking through it in person. 

Instead of being physically present, you would tour your soon-to-be home sweet home via a virtual tour, high-res photos and videos, 3D tours, and detailed depictions of the real estate agent. Buying a house sight unseen also requires thorough research online to get a sense of the neighborhood and the nearby areas.

In recent times, this form of home-buying has always been popular in fast-moving real estate markets—where offers should be submitted in minutes or hours if you want a chance—and among experienced homebuyers and investors. 

The trend became particularly popular after the pandemic (2021 and 2022) when people wanted to move away from hotspots quickly or simply wished to relocate near family. Buying a home this way was also safer when social distancing was the norm.

Tips To Buy A House Site Unseen

Have you decided that buying a home unseen is for you? Before embarking on this journey, consider the following tips:

Choose the Right Real Estate Agent For The Job

You want to partner with a trusted real estate agent, especially in this situation. Research the preferred agent’s references, reviews, and bio to find the agent who best fits your needs. Given today’s global network, that shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Here are some qualities your chosen real estate agent should convey if you plan to buy a house sight unseen successfully:

• No matter what real estate agent you pick, this person should know that you plan to buy the property virtually. And it is ideal if they have experience in the process.
• Prefer a real estate professional that is local to your area of interest.
• Tech-savvy abilities are a must in your selected professional. Remember that most of the process will be conducted remotely.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills are desirable when looking for an agent or REALTOR®. 

Set Your Budget & Act Fast

Now more than ever, it’s critical to know your budget’s limits. Competition between buyers in a seller’s market can get heated, so don’t get caught up in a bidding war that will only push you beyond what you can afford. 

Keep in mind that homes only stay on the market for a short time, so it’s crucial to work through the process quickly and diligently.

Consider Getting Pre-Approved For a Mortgage

Now that we are talking about quick and diligent processes, getting a mortgage pre-approval when buying a house sight unseen is a must to speed up the real estate transaction. 

Just as when you buy a house in person, getting pre-approved by a lender will help you determine how much of a home you can buy so you can make the right financial decisions. This step is intelligent before starting the virtual house-hunting process because it will guide you in selecting houses within your budget. Having this knowledge will let sellers know you are informed and that the home-buying transaction is serious. 

To obtain a mortgage pre-approval, a mortgage lender will revise your income, credit score, assets, and other details, all crucial information to set a loan amount, term, and interest rate. Once you are pre-approved, you get a mortgage pre-approval letter to show to real estate agents and make sure they look for houses within your budget.

Take a Virtual Tour Of The Property

Don’t rely purely on online listing photos; they might be deceiving. Listing photos are for selling and marketing, not to inform about home conditions. Instead, take a live video walkthrough tour with your agent. 

This virtual tour shouldn’t be a quick one; it should pan every space, floor to ceiling, with the agent zooming in on any area you have questions about. They can even take still photo closeups of concerns for more vivid detail than streaming video. 

Don’t limit the tour to the four walls of the home; go outside and pan the front and back yards, the grade and slope of the property, and any outdoor living areas. Go beyond the property, too, to take in the scenes of the neighborhood, any street traffic noise, and more.

Get A Rigorous Home Inspection

It’s vital to go beyond the standard due diligence when you can’t be at the property in person during home-buying. In that sense, it’s in your best interest that the home inspection is as thorough as can be.

It is also a good idea to ensure the participation of a high-quality inspector to look into every space, every nook and cranny, inside and out. This person should have great communication skills and be someone that you trust. 

This professional will ensure that the property has no significant structural problems or other issues, including—but not limited to—water damage, electrical or plumbing problems, and alterations in the heating and cooling systems. If possible, it is a good idea to be present via video call during the examination of your future home.

When buying a house unseen, hiring another professional for an additional inspection can be a great idea to bring in a second set of eyes to cover all your bases and avoid moving into a money pit. Similar to when you want a second opinion in a complex medical case. Experts also advise going a step further and bringing on board an experienced, licensed, insured engineer to inspect the property.

Place A Solid Sight Unseen Offer

If you have been pre-approved for a mortgage, have checked the property you like, and feel ready, it’s time to present an official offer to the seller of your chosen home. Technically, making an offer on a house sight unseen is not different from making a traditional purchase offer. 

Making a buy offer consists of putting together an offer letter that states how much you are offering to buy the property and the earnest money deposit you want to put down. Your real estate agent will help you draft this letter. When the seller receives your letter, they have three options:

• Accepting your offer
• Rejecting your offer
• Making you a counteroffer

When buying a home without seeing it, your agent may suggest you include contingencies in your offer. Contingencies are, to some extent, guarantees, some norms or requirements that must be met to close the deal. 

There are contingencies for everything (from securing financing to ensuring the home passes the inspection to ensuring the title is OK); you can add as many as you like in the purchase agreement to protect yourself once you are ready to close on your new home. But remember, too many contingencies may discourage the seller from accepting your offer. 

Set Realistic Expectacions

Take it all in stride and be realistic. Even when you go through the normal home-buying process, you may encounter some snafus, so expect some extra challenges when you haven’t physically toured the property.

When buying a house sight unseen, take more precautions by asking loads of questions and setting realistic expectations.

FAQs About Buying a Home Sight Unseen

Is it OK to buy a house without seeing it?

Buying a house sight unseen is considered riskier than a traditional home purchase, but it’s okay. In some instances, it is even recommended, like entering a high-demand real estate market with a lot of competition or buying in a different location.

Having a plan is key to ensuring a good experience. If you prepare yourself properly and have the support of an experienced real estate professional, you can buy a home successfully from anywhere. 

What are common mistakes to avoid when buying a house sight unseen?

Whether you’re purchasing a cabin for sale in Blairsville, GA, or a single-family home for sale in Washington, DC, avoid these mistakes if you are completing the home-buying process without being physically present: 

• Going with any real estate agent: While buying a house sight unseen is an expedited procedure, it’s a good idea to slow down and choose the best real estate professional for the job. That means a local, experienced, digitally fluent housing agent who enjoys your trust. 
• Being afraid to ask all those questions: In a standard home-buying process, you would ask a lot of questions, but there are many other things that you simply spot with your eyes. When buying a home remotely, all those details that your eyes would never touch should turn into questions. So don’t be afraid to ask your agent anything!
• Bypassing the virtual tour: The listing photos, the great they are, will only tell some of the truth. Ask your agent to sign you up for a virtual home tour before making any offer.
• Choosing any professional for the home inspection: When buying property from afar, the house inspection gains even more meaning. Find a reputable house inspector who is qualified, experienced, and local to the area and get that inspection report as soon as possible. 
• Relinquishing all contingencies: Maybe there is no need to include every single contingency in the book when buying a home virtually, but you should have the high-risk ones, like the inspection contingency, to protect yourself and your potential investment.  
• Avoid looking into the neighborhood: Even if you want to speed things up, it is highly recommended that you research the neighborhood where your future home is located. You can do it using online resources like Google Maps and Google Earth, as well as researching crime rates, school districts, new development areas, and more. If you can’t do so yourself, maybe ask a friend or family member to walk through the neighborhood and shoot a video or schedule a video tour with you.  

How common are sight-unseen offers?

According to several sources online, between 45% and 48% of homebuyers made offers on houses without visiting them in person. A survey cited by the National Association of Realtors revealed that millennials are particularly drawn to this form of home buying. 

“Ninety percent of millennials recently surveyed by Clever Real Estate say they’d be willing to buy a home “sight unseen,” reads a note posted on the NAR website in 2022. 

What are the risks of buying a property sight unseen?

There are risks to every home-buying process, but when you purchase a property without being present to evaluate the process every step of the way physically, there are more liabilities to the process. Here is a short list of the top downsizes of buying a property sight unseen:

1. No matter how good the photos or videos are or how high the resolution is, the vibe of a home is tough to capture.
2. You will not be able to experience the house amenities and areas first-hand.
3. Unless you’ve already visited the community, you may struggle to get an authentic feel for it.
4. You are more likely to miss issues (even major issues) with the property that are masked or not as visible. This may lead you to spend thousands of dollars on repairs.

What are the recommended apps and sites to help you buy a house unseen?

You have to face the truth: The Internet is not infallible. This means it’s not possible to have a true feel of the house you’re buying unless you step in the front door. However, there are several apps that can make the process of buying a house sight unseen smoother so that you have the most realistic experience possible. Here are some of those apps and tools:

• ez Home Search or other quality listing pages: You need the most quality information you can get when buying a home without seeing it. ez Home Search has high-resolution listing photos, 3D tours, updated market data, and more so you can start the home-picking process with all the information at hand and in one place. 
• Google Earth and Google Maps: These apps are truly useful for doing internet research about the specific area you’re buying into. Make sure to view the neighborhood and its surroundings.
• Zoom, FaceTime, or other video call apps: A video call app will help you get more information about the property when the inspector evaluates it. A visual and audio tour may not give you all the details, but it is better than not being present at all during the house examination. 

Final Words

Buying a home without touring it yourself may sound intimidating. Still, it is a standard process in real estate, and it is not going anywhere, especially as technology advances in the real estate industry. 

If you are considering this form of home buying, you’ll enjoy many benefits, such as completing the process in record time (which is particularly beneficial in flaming-hot markets), saving time, and buying property virtually anywhere in the country or the world, but you will also face challenges. 

To protect yourself and take the ship ashore with minimum risk, invest time in researching, take advantage of all the tech tools, and hire a knowledgeable, local real estate agent to make the process as smooth as possible.