Utour™: The Evolution of Home Showings During COVID-19
Sep 18, 2020 • Phoenix Area, AZ
With COVID-19 affecting seemingly every aspect of life, technology is becoming more and more useful in combatting the restrictions emplaced by the pandemic. This is true for homebuying, which can be one of the most important decisions an individual or family makes. In an effort to make this exciting process easier during these times, Shea Homes® has introduced on-demand, “unmanned” home tour options to potential buyers outside of normal business hours at Ascent and Emblem at Aloravita in Peoria, AZ through a self-service access system called UTour™.
The UTour technology allows homebuyers to schedule a self-guided tour appointment of their desired Shea home morning or night. The how to: start by browsing the many beautiful Shea homes and choose which you would like to tour. There, you will then find a time that works for you, schedule the appointment and verify your identity. Once your identity is verified, you will receive all the information needed to tour, including the address, time of appointment, and entry code right to your phone.
At the time of the tour, Smart door locks allow guests to use a special code to gain access into the home. Prospects can then take advantage of SheaConnect™, a collection of smart home features included in most Shea Homes. Each model is outfitted with iDevice® Instinct™ and other switches to allow for lighting the homes using voice commands as well as UTour Voice, which allows shoppers to use Amazon Alexa to ask questions on-demand about the Aloravita homes or community.
This technology allows for homebuyers to fully tour the Shea home of their dreams, while maintaining safe social distancing. Even with the addition of immersive 3D and virtual reality, the true experience of stepping inside a home is unmatched. With busy schedules, it can be difficult to find time to tour a home within open hours. UTour eliminates that problem by allowing a tour any time of day. It takes just minutes to get set up, meaning you can be at the property, envisioning your new home in no time.
As digital options continue to expand, it seems that contactless viewing may be around long-term. The convenience and informal concept of offering self-guided model tours is just another tool that utilizes the latest technology to assist prospective homebuyers to achieve the full, hands-on experience during their search.
To schedule your first UTour, head to the Shea Homes UTour page and select one of the two communities at Aloravita. From there, you’ll have three model options to choose from; if you can’t decide, schedule to see them all! Once you’ve registered, you’ll be given the needed code and be on your way! You’ll have an hour window for each appointment, which leaves plenty of time to explore every bit of the home. Don’t forget to take advantage of the in-home technology to ask any questions you may have to get the full effect!
While the UTour technology is currently only available at the Aloravita community, it is planned to be available for future Shea Homes communities as well.
For everything else Shea, visit sheahomes.com.
Sales by Shea Homes Marketing Company (AZ DRE #CO550381000), Construction by Shea Homes Limited Partnership (ROC #195895). Shea Homes is a registered trademark of Shea Homes Limited Partnership. Trademarks are the property of their respective owner. Equal Housing Opportunity. ©2020 All rights reserved. We respect your privacy. Please view the Shea Homes Privacy Policy.