Q. I’m moving to London soon to start a new job but I’m very anxious about finding somewhere to live. I am currently in Birmingham and working insane hours so I have absolutely no time to go down to London to find a new rental. A friend of mine suggested reaching out to agents to see if they would conduct a Facetime or Skype viewing which makes sense but I am wondering if this is possible?
A. For sure, this is absolutely possible and definitely as technology advances, more and more requests for this type of service are rolling in. Agents are always keen to accommodate buyers and tenants in their search for the perfect property and I have been using Face Time as a way to connect overseas or parties that are located in other parts of the UK to visit the property and found this to be a very successful method of helping people to move home. Of course just like any viewing you need to pre book the appointment and I would say on average it takes twice as long for this type of appointment to enable you to be able to not only view the property thoroughly but also have a chat with the agent about general things related to renting the property that you would normally do in person. For this type of viewing to be successful though and before requesting a Face Time viewing do ensure that you do your own homework. Make sure the area is where you want to be, ensure the commute to work is going to be reasonable, your agent will be able to advice on these matters of course but it really is down to you to make sure that side of things will work before the viewings commence. Remember the agent can show you around the property effectively but what he can’t do is show you the location. As long as you take your time and do this then there is no reason why this type of viewing couldn’t work for you given you are unable to physically get down to London yourself.