Selling your home online: what you need to know

As always, it’s best to look for an experienced real-estate professional with knowledge of your community. Online reviews and recommendations from friends and family are helpful. Virtual consultations with agents can help you find someone you feel comfortable with and let you see how well they handle technology and virtual meetings, which will be important during the selling process.

An agent should also be adept at online advertising and active on social media, which will help ensure more potential buyers see your listing. A technologically savvy agent will also provide you with multiple ways to get in touch with them and know how to use programs such as those that allow electronic signing of documents.

Your agent will set up a video conference to discuss your goals, the local housing market and how the process will work. You'll share photos and videos of your property or walk them through it over video chat to help the agent recommend a listing price.

Your agent, or their home stager, will suggest how to prepare your property for potential buyers, including techniques like decluttering, rearranging and minor updating, such as painting. Your agent will coordinate a time for their photographer to take photos of your property when you're out or provide tips on how you can take the best photos.

“Staging and videos are that much more important because you have to catch buyers on the virtual tour, prior to any showing. In some cases, there may not be a showing,” says Winters. “You need to grab their attention and set yourself apart with your photos and videos.”

The value of online marketing has been growing, as buyers want to browse as much as they can without leaving their homes. In fact, between April and May 2020, there was a 50% increase in realtor.ca Opens in a new window. users sorting properties to show those with a virtual tour first Opens in a new window..

In addition to their website, a good agent should be keen to share your listing widely, including social media channels and with their network of agents. A technologically savvy agent can provide virtual open houses or even 360-degree 3D tours, which can be pre-recorded or hosted live. Some apps, like FaceTime and EyeSpy360, allow people to view a home and ask questions via video chat.

“A lot of this technology existed before, but it has become more prominent during COVID-19 and we'll see it become the norm,” says Cliff Stevenson, a real estate agent in Calgary, Alberta. “It’s even more important to work with someone who understands the impact of technology and online marketing. But it may not be necessary to find an expert. If there's an agent who you really like who's willing to become familiar with the technology, that'd be OK. A lot of people are adjusting and learning as they go and a lot of realtors are adapting to this very quickly.”

Closing on a real estate deal usually involves in-person meetings and signings, but tools exist so this isn’t necessary. Regulatory and licensing bodies have changed some rules to allow for virtual processes. For example, the Law Society of Ontario ruled that lawyers and paralegals aren’t required to be physically present to verify a signature. Alternatives, such as video meetings, are acceptable.

Home inspections require an on-site visit, but inspectors will arrange a time when you aren’t home and send a report electronically. Your agent can explain terms of an offer and make recommendations by phone or video conference. Digital identity technologies are also sophisticated enough to identify a driver's licence or legitimate documents and allow for secure e-signatures. For payments, you should ensure your lawyer and agent are set up to receive money with Interac e-transfer service. You can also set up your lawyer as a “bill payee” through online banking. A lockbox can help with transferring keys.

“It's fascinating to watch how much of the process can be handled remotely. And clients are becoming more comfortable with it,” says Stevenson. “With the convenience and ease, we'll see this become more popular. There'll be a change in mentality of what showing and selling your home looks like.”