Technology and good, old-fashioned creativity have helped agents, buyers and sellers abide by COVID-19 health and safety practices while getting deals done.
Many buyers relied on the internet to stay on top of the latest homes for sale. They used improving technologies to shop, from reviewing photos, 3-D virtual walk-throughs and watching highly produced videos of homes listed on the Northwest MLS and filtered across dozens of real estate search sites. Still others visited in person while practicing social distancing or watched as listing agents hosted virtual open houses on Facebook and other video-conferencing apps. And, in the latest development, agents can conduct traditional open houses across the state.
Gov. Inslee approved the return of open houses on Oct. 6 – somewhat surprisingly, amid steady increases in coronavirus-related infections and deaths in many parts of our state. His decision signals a level of trust that both real estate professionals and people they serve can be expected to act appropriately and safely.
Real estate has been deemed an essential service throughout the pandemic and everyone – from appraisers, home inspectors and agent/brokers – has evolved his/her business to keep people safe and protected from the virus.
With the governor’s latest order – 6 ½ months after his original Stay Home, Stay Healthy proclamation – open houses can resume as long as safety protocols are followed and sellers agree to open their doors to the public event. Having people walk through your home during a pandemic can be unsettling. That is why real estate pros are working with sellers to discuss the open house as one possible option to promoting the property. (The matter is less critical to sellers when the home is vacant.)
Rules mandated by the state allow up to five visitors to a home, plus one real estate agent (who always must be present). That sounds manageable for a nice-sized, single-family home but it would be a challenge to have up to six people in, say, a 650-square foot, 1-bedroom condo unit.
Listing agents can accommodate both scenarios by instructing visitors when to walk through the home. In the case of a condo open house, best practice is to allow only one group (a couple, single individual, or family up to five people) each visit at a time. Other buyers interested in seeing the home can wait in the lobby or outside the condo building – just as we wait in line today to queue for other services or pick up items. Touring homes outside open house hours is allowed by appointment in coordination with a real estate agent/broker.
Safety protocols when planning to tour a home have been in place since the virus hit our shores. It starts with buyer-visitors completing a straightforward health survey and registering their contact details for the purposes of contact tracing, if necessary. Those protocols also ask that people wash their hands or use sanitizer, always wear a mask over their nose and mouth, wear disposable gloves (optional), avoid touching surfaces and social distance at least 6 feet from each other.
A sharp listing agent welcoming visitors will ensure all doors (except possibly the main entrance) and closets are kept open and lights on – to reduce the need to touch handles, knobs and light switches in the home. These and other measures are all part of a buyer/seller safety mindset reinforced by the person conducting the open house. (This real estate pro, by the way, is Buy | Sell Safe™ Certified, after completing industry training with the primary aim of protecting our community.)
In Washington, rules around in-person showings vary by county. For example, during Phase 1 in early spring, King County could only host one person and one real estate professional in a home at a time. That eventually expanded to three people (including one agent/broker) in Phase 2 this summer. While we are still in Phase 2, the governor is now permitting up to six people in a home (including an agent/broker). For Phase 3 counties (currently including Island, Kittitas, Lewis, Mason and Thurston in our area), no more than 11 people (including the agent/broker) may be in the home at a time. (No counties are currently in Phase 1 or Phase 4.)
To hold an open house, the real estate firm and listing agent must take measures to ensure that occupancy is restricted to the gathering size permitted by the current county phase and all other required protocols are followed (face coverings, social distancing, sanitation, etc.)
Broker/agents have conducted home tours via FaceTime and other similar tools for years and these platforms have proven invaluable for home buying and selling during the pandemic. Real estate sites have seen a surge in 3-D home tours, which allow users to immerse themselves in the home and take their time to review each room, hallway and (in some cases) the yard.
Both of these virtual showings remain the primary form of touring a home but the slow relaxing of the governor’s “stay home” mandate has given buyers the opportunity to conduct a traditional tour and final walk-through before closing a sale. We recommend only the buyers – no distant family members or friends – visit in person to limit the risk of exposure.
The real estate industry creatively and safely responded to the situation this year in keeping tantamount the well-being of all concerned. John L. Scott and I can be a great source of information about home buying and selling during the pandemic to help you feel comfortable and safe.
NOTE: On Nov. 15, the governor issued sweeping new restrictions to stem the surge in Covid-19 cases, including the suspension of open houses starting Nov. 17.