Gas Prices Increase -- View Virtual Open Houses Online!

With the price of gas now hovering around $3.15/gallon, spending your Sunday afternoon driving around to open houses in Virginia and D.C. can get quite expensive!  Friday's Washington Times asked whether "online virtual tours replaced the good, old-fashioned open house?"

Sellers and listing agents have traditionally used the open house as a tool for attracting buyers to the home and/or meeting potential buyers or future sellers in the neighborhood.  However, the traditional open house often causes headaches for all involved:

• Buyers have to look in the newspapers or online to discover the open houses and then drive all around town on a Sunday afternoon to view the available homes (and we all know what traffic can be like in Northern Virginia and D.C., even on a Sunday).
• Sellers must clean up their home after Saturday night entertaining and rush around to be out of the house before the open house starts.  Then the sellers need to find something to occupy their time for 3 or 4 hours on a Sunday afternoon before returning to the home.
• Realtors must spend the better part of their weekend placing directional signs, and sitting in the open house, never sure of how many qualified buyers will show up.

Now on the internet, virtual tours can save everyone money, time and aggravation.  Buyers can view the interiors of the homes and either cross it off their list or decide to go visit in person.  Sellers can stay at home on Sundays and watch the Redskins game.  And Realtors can spend their weekends with qualified buyers finding them homes.

Here are some examples of virtual tours in Northern Virginia:

Arlington Townhouse

Fairfax Condo

Gainesville Home