even with a vaccine (which btw means you cant spread the vaccine and you will not get any symptoms, RECOVERY!! a great win for the world and should lead to a great economic reboound ),

Regardless,
i really think this tech is crucial for the industry, with so many properties to inspect compared to the number of agents there are (which studies have shown HATE their jobs )

https://www.littlerealestate.com.au/news/property-inspections-going-virtual

Research shows most real estate agents are terrible at property management

By way of background, it is important to consider that real estate agencies are notoriously poor at providing property management services to landlords. The consistent high turnover of property management staff, lack of motivation and lack of experience of property managers in Australia is not just anecdotal, it is backed by research.

Just some of the findings from Rockend and Elite Agent's 2018 Voice of Australian Property Management Report, a nationwide survey of 1,034 property management professionals, revealed:

• 54% of property managers have less than 2 years experience
• 63% of property managers do not enjoy their career, yet they choose not to leave
• Only 1 in 4 property managers feels positively about their career
• 43% of those working in the industry believe their next role will be outside property management
• 30% of property managers are expecting to move to a sales role, seeing property management as a training ground to progress
• Out of 6 options, retaining staff was ranked the lowest priority by agency principals

As the report concludes, "When employees are disillusioned and unhappy it impacts training costs, onboarding and loss of business knowledge resulting in a poorer service to owners and tenants as teams constantly struggle to be on top of their workloads".

Of course, this has an impact on the likelihood that routine inspections will be completed thoroughly and on time.

Not all property managers complete routine inspections as scheduled

Unfortunately, we hear many times from landlords that their previous property manager simply didn't complete inspections as promised. Worse still, landlords often don't become aware of this issue until they choose to sell their investment property - at which time they find their property has been damaged or otherwise neglected in ways which would have been obvious had these inspections been conducted.

In addition to the financial distress this lack of action places on landlords, property inspections which fail to happen as planned are also frustrating to tenants. We heard recently of a tenant who had agreed to the date of their first routine inspection on the date they signed the lease. In their case, the date came and went without a word from the property manager. They actually presumed it must have happened. Some weeks (yes, weeks) later, they were contacted by the property manager without an apology and to arrange a substitute date for the inspection. On this second attempt, the property manager had failed to bring keys to access the property, and a third date was arranged. Each rescheduled date brought further frustration, understandably.

How should a routine rental inspection work?

A good property manager will arrange the date and time of the next routine rental inspection well in advance and communicate this clearly to both the landlord and tenant.

During the inspection, the property is thoroughly reviewed and photos are taken throughout as documentation of the state of the property. Any issues such as maintenance requirements or areas of improvement needed from the tenant are discussed (should the tenant be present) or communicated soon after to both the landlord and tenant.

In every instance, the landlord should receive a detailed inspection report including the property manager's notes and all photos. This should be received without prompting at least once every six months.

As a landlord, if you haven't seen an inspection report from your property manager within the last six months (at least), it is time to start asking some questions. It is not your job to remind your property manager of their job.

Switching property management is as easy as filling out this simple online form. Experience reliable, professional, and accessible property management the way it should be.

"We would recommend performing a routine inspection of your property at least twice a year to ensure the property is well maintained by the tenant. Each state has its own regulations on how often landlords are allowed to conduct routine inspections: NSW routine inspections: 4 times a year."1 Sept 2019

https://rentbetter.com.au/view/guide-routine-property inspections/#:~:text=We%20would%20recommend%20performing%20a,inspections%3A%204%20times%20a%20year

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LANDLORDS

05 JUNE 2020

What happens in a virtual inspection?

Property inspections delivered virtually are very similar to in-person inspections because they offer the person interested in the property the opportunity to review it to see if it meets their needs. The biggest difference is that the inspection would occur in a digital setting rather than at the property.

Whether it is via the internet or through advancing technologies like virtual reality, the same examination process can occur, just without the physical presence.

Virtual inspections can have many advantages to a traditional approach.

Convenience

A virtual inspection provides a fantastic opportunity for interstate buyers. When a property’s full details and virtual tour is online, they can potentially view all aspects of a property from anywhere in the world.

Virtual inspections will also provide easier access to people like workers that will always struggle to view a property in normal trading hours. Thanks to new technology, inspecting a home can be done at any time during the day or week, in any location that you can go online.

These can also be ideal for rented properties that are on the market. It can be slightly awkward walking through someone else’s home, but by conducting inspections virtually the hassle and any anxiety that occurs for tenants and those inspecting the property can be removed.

Another positive is that it has the potential to speed up the application process. This is ideal for investors as every day an investment property sits vacant, it's losing money.

Virtual inspections will also potentially push the industry towards a completely paperless approach, as it will mostly likely tie into the virtual push that new technologies are bringing.

Ease of online exposure

Sites like Domain and Realestate.com.au provide a property with an enormous platform to reach prospective buyers.

In reality, virtual inspections would just piggyback on the trend of a property’s digital presence becoming their main selling point.

There is also great potential for potential buyers to have more time in the property. Generally during an inspection there will be a time constraint as agents have other properties and sellers to attend to.

Through virtual inspections, you could examine a property for hours on end if that was what you needed. It would also be the same for those looking to rent.

Health benefits

In the face of the current pandemic, new ways of conducting business have needed to be created.

One great benefit of using a virtual inspection model is that it can reduce any potential exposure to COVID-19 by removing the need to actually attend the property.

Understand demographics

There is great potential to gather data about any prospective property purchasers through virtual inspections. Having people register their details online would allow for the data to be easily transferred into a data base of potential buyers.

While this is achievable through the traditional in-person inspection, data collected online could be better used to deliver a streamlined experience for those looking to rent or buy the property.

Negatives

There are some potential negatives that can come with a virtual approach to inspections though.

For example, it is often when you inspect a property physically that you learn about its quirks and any potential faults that it may have which don't relate to the aesthetic appearance of the property (local noise levels for example). A virtual inspection does not provide you with the opportunity to experience the property with all your senses.

Another issue may be a lack of access to the appropriate technology. It could potentially be unfair to some looking to inspect a property but do not have the opportunity due to not having access to the tech that is needed.

Little Real Estate's virtual property inspections

Little Real Estate has introduced virtual inspections for many of our available properties to provide a safer and more efficient inspection experience. View our available properties for sale to check out some virtual tours today!