Jun 2, 2026
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people make. However, TikToker Marissa Ward and her husband, who’s served in the Air Force for 12 years, added a sizable risk to the decision by purchasing their new house sight unseen.
Like many military families who relocate for their jobs, Ward, her husband (whom she doesn’t name) and their son Romeo have moved multiple times over the years, including from Delaware to North Carolina and, now, Massachusetts — where they purchased their new home remotely.
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Ward documented the process and the actual move for her more than 57,000 TikTok followers and noted how they relied on their realtor to provide updates from the property — including construction progress on the house — ahead of the purchase.
Moneywise reached out to Ward for comment and didn’t hear back by press time. But she told People that some of her followers expressed surprise about their remote purchase and that, because she’s used to moving, she forgets that buying a house sight unseen “isn’t typical.”
She also admitted that, given AI technology, they did have moments of doubt. Worrying questions started to come up like “What if this is all a scam?” and their house doesn’t even exist. Thankfully, though, despite a last-minute delay on the closing, they moved into their new home in May.
Buying a house unseen isn’t such a remote idea
Buying a home sight unseen means purchasing a property without visiting it in person. While not the preferred method — especially as mortgage rates and housing prices continue to rise — it’s not unusual for those with extenuating circumstances.
“It’s actually very common, especially when the buyer is moving from several states away,” Ashley Watters, an Arkansas realtor who helps military personnel relocate told Moneywise. She says the home search “can sometimes take weeks or even months, making it unrealistic for buyers” to travel back and forth in person.
When an in-person viewing isn’t feasible, Watters notes that “improvements in technology, handheld devices and platforms like Zoom” mean “the risk has diminished significantly over the last several years” for remote buying.
Sight-unseen purchases surged during the pandemic, when 63% of buyers made offers on properties they didn’t visit. By 2024, with the absence of COVID-related health fears, that figure fell to 28%, though many buyers still relied on loved ones or agents to tour homes for them.
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Of course, buying remotely inherently runs the risk that you could miss crucial issues with the home or surrounding neighborhood, among other concerns.
But that’s why Watters says buyers should carefully vet both their agent and home inspector, since those professionals “are the buyer’s boots on the ground.”
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How to buy a home remotely
One of the most important searches you’ll do in your remote home buying process isn’t for properties, but for real estate agents.
“Buyers should approach their agent search much like their home search — prepare a list of questions in advance and interview multiple agents to find the right fit,” Watters advised.
She added that choosing a quality home inspector is “equally important” because “a thorough inspector can provide valuable insight into the property’s condition and help identify potential issues that may not be apparent through photos or virtual tours.”
Like with the agent, Watters suggests doing your research, including asking for references “to ensure you’re working with experienced professionals.”
Once you have your team in place, mortgage lender Jennifer Beeston, who purchased her own home sight unseen and has clients across the county who’ve done the same, recommends getting your agent to do tours of potential homes while they have you on a video call.
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“You need to be able to kind of test and go, ‘Okay, can you turn right? What does that look like? Can you put that down? Can you put that up?’” she explains in a YouTube video. “Because those are your eyes.”
Beeston said she also had her agent speak with neighbors to get their thoughts on the area. She, and others, also suggest doing both Google Earth and Google Street View tours of any potential neighborhoods, so you can get a better sense of the surrounding streets and any red flags — say, a noisy factory a few blocks over.
Watters says it’s best to do virtual showings with an agent “and then try to view the home in person before closing.” And some even advise putting a walk-through contingency in the contract.
Watters also warns that, when closing, scammers like to try and “intercept transactions by sending fraudulent emails or making phone calls that redirect buyers to wire funds to the wrong account.”
She says to make sure you “communicate only with the individuals and companies you have already vetted” and “independently verify all wiring instructions” before sending any money.
Meanwhile, as for Ward and her family, they’ve already finished their first new home project: putting up the mailbox. So it’s safe to say their risk paid off.
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Mike Crisolago is a Sr. Staff Reporter at Moneywise with nearly 20 years of experience working as a journalist, editor, content strategist and podcast host. He specializes in personal finance writing related to the 50-plus demographic and retirement, as well as politics and lifestyle content.
