It often seems the era of Coronavirus is changing how we shop. We buy groceries online. We scout would-be purchases via YouTube or Facebook. We communicate with sales people through email or Twitter. That all works for any number of lesser purchases, but how do you manage searching for or outright purchasing a house?
For a case study on how some real estate communities are going about selling homes in spring of 2020, we take a look at Desert Mountain near Phoenix, Ariz. The sales force there instituted the Desert Mountain Dream Home Tour “to showcase featured listings at Desert Mountain and its newest community, Seven Desert Mountain.”
Elite real estate communities like Desert Mountain near Phoenix turn to virtual tours during the ... [+]
Models and floor plans from Seven’s three custom home builders (Camelot Homes, Cullum Homes and Family Development) are included in this online platform for exploration. These tours were created to give homebuyers a place to “visit” a collection of luxury homes listed for sale within Desert Mountain’s expansive 8,000 acres north of Scottsdale. These properties would otherwise be unreachable during social distancing.
The Desert Mountain virtual home tour is updated every Thursday with a new selection of homes and styles. Prospective buyers are directed to the listing agent at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, where 24 sales executives represent Desert Mountain.
The tour is supported by a newly developed social media platform allowing Desert Mountain to showcase every property for sale within the community. The new site includes information on every aspect of the property and its amenities.
The minds behind Desert Mountain clearly believe keeping current residents happy and informed is also a sales feature for potential future buyers. During the social distancing and quarantine orders, the property uses their Youtube channel – Desert Mountain TV – as a primary communications resource.
The YouTube channel is always on, and serves as a portal to connect residents, members and prospective members before, during the pandemic. Each “channel” or playlist on Desert Mountain TV is organized by topic, offering virtual tours, testimonials from current members and coverage of various events held at the club.
Would-be home buyers can tour possible purchases online at the Desert Mountain community.
With the help of the Golf Channel, Desert Mountain bundled various stories into a customized club news program, featuring a variety of news stories from the golf team in “Turf Talk,” highlights from the chef on sustainable food practices and “Pro Tips” from instructors throughout the club’s amenities.
According to Kim Atkinson, Director of Marketing and Communications for Desert Mountain Club, the Youtube channel is there to stay as it serves both housing shoppers and current residents.
“As one of the largest private clubs in the country, Desert Mountain TV will continue to evolve and include more content about who we are and what it’s like to be here as a member and residents,” Atkinson says. “Plans to produce a series virtual cooking classes and mixology demonstrations are in the works and will likely continue well past the pandemic. “
