For Homebuyers, Virtual Tours Replacing In-Person Visits During COVID-19 Crisis

CHICAGO (CBS) -- COVID-19 is keeping some prospective home buyers from touring properties. Some realtors are brokering sales for the first time without ever seeing the property first-hand.

CBS 2 Morning Insider Tim McNicholas shows us how the novel coronavirus is changing the home-buying experience.

Jenna Studtman is buying a home in the city and plans to close on May 15 but she still hasn't seen it in person.

You see, someone is still living in the unit for now, so in-person tours are off limits. The tenant sent a video tour to help out Studtman.

"Thankfully, because of the tenant videos, I felt a lot more comfortable. Even just the main video she sent, walking into the front door, seeing the flow of the apartment," she said.

The tenant even sent over some additional shots of the closet space.

Studtman's realtor, Zach Kogut, said this is a first for him. Before Studtman, his clients had only entered contracts sight unseen for rentals.

"It's been a lot different. I would have told you that you were crazy if you told me that everything was going be done virtually the entire month of April," Kogut said.

In some cases, buyers are even signing the deal without ever leaving their car. Kogut said he's not sure yet whether Studtman will need a drive-by closing in mid-May.

"We're taking it day by day," he said.

Studtman said she started looking for a place around the holidays. She thought she might be out of luck when the pandemic hit, but now "it just felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest."

Thanks to modern technology, she can get it done after all.

Kogut said he also has couple other clients who are negotiating right now on properties they've never seen in person.