April 3, 2020

With condo tours off the table, Daniels goes digital

Photo provided by Daniels Real Estate [enlarge]

Daniels Real Estate and its brokers are using apps and other remote methods to sell the remaining 36 condos at the Gridiron.

Seattle-based Daniels Real Estate said it launched a sales package “that introduces a new digital age to real estate” in response to the need for social distancing because of COVID-19.

The effort is to help sell condos at the Gridiron, which the developer opened in 2018 with 107 units — 36 of which remain unsold. The building is at 589 Occidental Ave. S., a stone's throw from CenturyLink Field.

“In the past four months, Gridiron has sold 10 new condominium homes and buyers still want to tour the residences,” said Kevin Daniels, the firm's president, in a press release.

The remaining market-rate condos start at $441,410 for a 548-square-foot one-bedroom/one bath unit, and $785,800 for a 963-square-foot two-bedroom/two bath unit. Eight income-limited units are also available.

The firm said the new sales package allows buyers “to adhere to CDC requirements while still purchasing a home, while interest rates are low.”

The sales-from-a-distance efforts include narrated tour videos, fancy new apps and a condo reservation system.

“This high-tech, white glove approach to real estate may well be a sign of the times,” the firm said.

Narrated tour videos produced by brokers from Realogics Sotheby's International Realty show the building's location, common areas, penthouse amenities, water and skyline views, and select model homes and unit floor plans.

Daniels said Gridiron and RSIR are also beta-testing a new app in Seattle called Vuse, created by an East Coast company of the same name.

The app allows brokers to produce walking video tours that can be instantly formatted and shared with a prospective buyer. Brokers can create listing videos, personal video messages and virtual open houses, in minutes, on their smartphones, Daniels said.

RSIR has also partnered with Google on an augmented reality staging app called Curate, which lets buyers start decorating their condos before they ever set foot in them.

That said, it's hard to pull the trigger on a home purchase without having actually inspected it first. So Daniels Real Estate's reservation system lets prospective buyers reserve units in lieu of binding purchase-and-sale agreements.

The reservation is a first right of opportunity to contract on a condo with a negotiated price in exchange for a refundable $5,000 deposit. The purchase option will be held until 30 days following the federal lifting of stay-at-home recommendations or May 30, whichever is later.

Reservation holders must be pre-qualified by Gridiron's preferred lenders, Caliber Home Loans and HomeBridge, to hold a reservation agreement. RSIR can accept multiple reservations on the same unit, which will note first and second position.