Over the past several months, the coronavirus outbreak has infected millions of people around the world and impacted nearly everybody. We have all had to adjust to this (temporary) new normal in order to keep ourselves and others safe. The real estate industry has had to adjust to the changes, as well. Quite possibly the biggest question we’ve had to answer as realtors has been how to show homes or hold open houses in a safe, yet productive manner. With guidance from the CDC and National Association of Realtors, there are some great procedures in place that can ensure everyone’s safety during a showing.
What Sellers Can Do To Ensure Everyone’s Safety
Many sellers do not want to have loads of people coming in and out of their homes. However, if you are open to having a showing, then there are some things you can do to make sure the process is safe for yourself and any prospective buyers.
Firstly, if you are living in the home, it’s very, very important to disclose any exposure you may have had to COVID-19 as well as any positive tests you’ve had. By doing this, we as listing agents can prevent any in-person showings for a fourteen day period from the date of your test and/or exposure to the virus in an effort to limit the spread of the disease.
During this time, we would arrange virtual showings for any buyers interested in the home. This is also an option for any seller that is uncomfortable having in-person showings for their home.
The other things a seller could do to help out would be providing easy access to sanitizers and opening up interior doors and closets to minimize touching. It’s not a bad idea to have hand sanitizer available at the font door upon walking in. As your realtors, we would ultimately enforce a no-touching policy, however, we would prepare for some people to not follow the rules. By having hand soap at sinks and hand sanitizer available, we can mitigate risk of coronavirus spread as much as possible. And on that same note, if all of the closets, and interior doors are already open, a buyer does not have to go through and touch everything to see everything they need to see.
What Buyers Can Do To Ensure Everyone’s Safety
For a buyer walking through a showing or open house, there are very quick and simple things to be done to mitigate risk. Before you enter a home, it’s important to make sure you are properly wearing a mask. The seller has allowed you into their home and now it’s your responsibility to help not spread COVID-19 if you have it. Of course, it should go without saying your responsibility to disclose to your agent and/or the seller any exposure you have had to the virus.
Once in the home, try to refrain from touching things unless it’s absolutely necessary. If there are other people walking through the home, it is important to maintain a safe distance of at least 6ft between you.
Lastly, if you are uncomfortable with seeing a home in person or are sick, please request a virtual showing!
What your Apex Realtor Does To Ensure Everyone’s Safety
We understand that this is an unprecedented time and nobody likes having to jump through all the extra hoops to be safe. However, we do our best to make sure buyers and sellers can easily and conveniently cooperate for the sake of everyone’s health and safety. So, whether you are a buyer or seller, your Apex agent has the same general tasks.
Your agent will make these aforementioned guidelines clear to all parties and do their best to enforce them! Beyond what we’ve already mentioned, your agent will screen buyers coming into your home for COVID-19. If a virtual showing is necessary, we will take care of everything and provide the best possible portrait of your home to any prospective buyers.
Additionally, we work with sellers to determine the maximum number of visitors allowed in the home at one time. And again, we know not everyone will follow these rules all the time. So after each showing your agent will clean and disinfect all of the frequently-touched surfaces.
Conclusion
The local real estate market is booming today in spite of a very present coronavirus. If you are unsure about whether to participate in the market due to COVID-19 concerns, know that Apex Brokerage is taking the situation very seriously and working with buyers and sellers to navigate the market safely and efficiently. We craft a strategy with you to ensure you are as comfortable as can be while maintaining our aggressive spirit that will score you the best deal. Contact us today to start the next chapter of your real estate journey!
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