Relocating to Sacramento? Some of my clients virtually view homes via FaceTime or narrated video before making an offer...

I work with a lot of buyers looking to move to Sacramento from another city or state. Not every home buyer who relocates to Sacramento can easily visit town to view new listings as they come on the market. Since the good homes go quickly, often I will preview properties for out-of-town buyers to see if the property is a fit. Then I can assess if they should rush into town to view it in person.

But not every buyer can do that. Sometimes a seller may be reviewing offers before a buyer can visit. Or in some cases buyers don't live within a couple hours drive of Sacramento.

Recently I helped a client who was relocating from the state of Pennsylvania to Roseville for a new job. They identified a really specific neighborhood where they needed to live -- within the boundaries of a particular school for their children -- and given their price range, very few listings matched their criteria. When one popped onto the market, I'd scope it out for them and if it seemed to be a potential fit, I'd send them a video that I would narrate as I walked through.

While this is not an ideal way to house-hunt, sometimes it is the most practical way to find a home from afar. I think it takes a lot of communication and trust for this sort of arrangement to work. In this case, my buyers closed escrow toady on October 4th and will not see the home until the day they drive up with their u-haul in tow next week. And I am confident they will love their home.