Technology has revolutionized many industries, and real estate is no exception. The advent of the Internet – plus the creation of social media – has transformed the buying and selling of real estate so that anyone can access virtually any property at any time, from anywhere in the world.
Now, you can do even more – all while plopped in front of your flatscreen TV.
Grab a remote, because customers who have cable TV will be able to access an on-demand channel devoted to – what else? – properties for sale. Next 1 Interactive, a telecom provider who owns and operates a slew of travel and real estate networks, channels, and shows on TV, just released its Home TV On Demand service that showcases homes for sale across the country.
Now, viewers can turn on the tube and check out 15-20 second clips of homes for sale in the viewer’s local area, including interior and exterior tours of a property – enough to whet the interest and bring the home to your attention. This is pretty much the same as a video on-demand service, except instead of watching Bruce Willis in Die Hard at 2:30 AM you can catch local properties that are on the market.
This move brings a new dimension to how investors and homebuyers are checking out local markets and engaging in research and discovery. The old, free pamphlets full of local listings at your neighborhood grocery store? Toss ‘em out. The cruising the neighborhood, looking for new ‘For Sale’ signs out in the yard? Forget ‘em – that’s way too slow in this day and age.
The Internet is still king as far as real estate advertising, marketing, and communication is concerned, but this TV service seems to be a nice supplement. Of course, it’s not anything groundbreaking; local public-access channels and stations have had real estate properties promoted for years now. But, this is unique in that it offers you video tours of the properties to give you a more realistic view of what the property represents.
In this competitive market, investors should use any tool they possibly can in order to get the leg up on the competition. This means using the Internet to do research and scope out potential buys before taking an up-close-and-personal look at the property. But, with this new channel and service, you have yet another option to find the hottest properties and best discounts.