First sales reported without customers visiting sites as government measures halt housing market
A growing number of residential developers are turning to virtual viewings to allow potential owners to “visit” newly-built homes, after the government called an effective halt to the housing market due to coronavirus.
Responding to the government’s lockdown and newly-published guidance for prospective home buyers, Galliard Homes has set up a virtual viewing service, working with on-line technology group Reevo 360, and made its first sales.
Virtual viewings are now available across Galliard’s £3.6bn London portfolio of new homes, including the group’s Tower Bridge Road scheme (pictured).
Using a special camera rig, Reevo 360 has created virtual reality interiors and exterior views of Galliard’s homes for sale, alongside RICS floorplans and still photos.
Meanwhile, residential developer Avanton said it had secured a reservation via virtual viewing at its development Coda in Battersea, south London, 48 hours after launching its property viewing platform.
Last week, the government published new guidance calling on estate agents to work remotely, prohibiting homeowners from allowing buyers to visit their home and advising people to delay moving “where possible”.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said customers could speak to estate agents over the phone. “They will be able to give you general advice about the local property market and handle certain matters remotely but they will not be able to start actively marketing your home in the usual manner.”
Galliard said it had seen an average of four virtual viewings a day, and two reservations result from them, one at The Stage development in Shoreditch, east London, and the other at Westgate House in Ealing.
New figures published today by the Bank of England showed 73,546 mortgages were approved last month, before coronavirus fully hit the UK.
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