How to make use of hyper-local property viewings

Posted on 12 January 2021
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How to make use of hyper-local property viewings

With thousands of Viewbers in neighbourhoods across the UK, agents can cut virtually all travel from their viewings diary by booking the person closest to the property.

Before Covid, the Government had set ambitious climate targets surrounding travel: to bring all UK greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and to support fewer car trips through ‘a coherent, convenient and cost-effective public network’.

Now non-essential journeys have taken on a very different guise. From 30-mile round trips to check your eyesight to five-mile drives to uncrowded beauty spots, we are being encouraged to seriously consider using our vehicles and confine our travels to the immediate vicinity where we live.

This presents a conundrum for agents that Viewber can help solve. The property market, as of mid-January 2021, has been allowed to stay open; travel for work is permitted and accompanied viewings can still take place. With many people working from home, there are sometimes greater distances to travel – perhaps journeys that take agents outside of their local area.

It’s a moral dilemma that balances business health, public health and an interpretation of what is deemed as ‘essential travel’. After all, a survey of agents by Property Industry Eye found 62% of agents wanted the housing market to shut down, despite the Government saying it was ‘absolutely determined’ to keep it open.

We are here to help agents who continue serving the home moving population and cut their travel. Our network of nationwide Viewbers can be called upon to visit properties on your behalf and we have always taken pride that our Viewbers are local people who offer a hyper-local service. Where possible, we will match your viewing or visit request with a Viewber who can walk to the property or, at very least, make the shortest, safest journey by car.

“Travel is a hot topic right now for many reasons,” comments Viewber’s founder, Ed Mead. “We know many agents have employed proptech to widen their geographical catchment but when you combine this with the temporary closure of many branches and an army of agents working from home, the distances between personnel and property are getting longer. Booking a Viewber – highly likely to be the closest person to the property – is good for reducing carbon emissions, reducing unnecessary travel and keeping staff safe. It’s a win-win situation.”

You can book a Viewber to accompany a potential buyer or tenant, to let trades in or to compile a set of marketing assets, including photographs, floorplans, a 360? virtual tour or a live video viewing.

If you’d like more detail, The Depart for Transport’s ‘Decarbonising Transport’ document can be found here.

The Government’s guideline document regarding safe travel during the pandemic is here.

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