House and apartment hunters are using virtual reality to find their new home during the coronavirus pandemic.

With social distancing measures making it difficult to attend open houses, virtual reality (VR) could be the next best thing to experiencing a new home in person. Even before the pandemic, about 35% of buyers in 2017 made an offer on a home without seeing it in person, according to a report . Interest in new homes has only increased since then, as millions of people have fled major cities during the pandemic.

New York City resident James Major and his wife have talked about moving south to escape the cold winters and high cost of living. “Since it’s been tough getting in and out of NYC post-COVID, we’ve been using 3D tours on Redfin and Trulia to see homes without actually visiting them in person,” Major, the owner and founder of the site Insurance Panda, said in an email interview.

"Before we make an offer, we definitely have to visit the house we're interested in, but with the 3D tours, we can screen them and pick out the houses we don't like. If we have the time to visit them, we don't have to waste time looking at places that we could have quickly checked off after an online tour."