1. We have the privilege of continuing a limited amount of real estate practice. With privilege comes responsibility. It is your responsibility to follow these guidelines. If you do not, we risk all being shut down completely.
2. No open houses. No Broker opens.
3. You can do what is necessary to complete sales in final stages prior to the Delaware state of emergency.
4. YOUR OFFICE IS CLOSED. You can work from home. DO NOT TAKE THE PUBLIC TO YOUR OFFICE. Managers, bookkeeping, administrative, and maintenance staff might need to be in the office occasionally. You might need to stop in to get supplies and tend to clients’ needs but keep your time there to a minimum particularly if others are there. Follow your broker’s rules about office access.
5. Do everything you can to keep yourself healthy and teach others how to stay healthy. Follow CDC guidelines.
6. Offer sellers the opportunity to continue with showings or to change the status to Temporarily Off Market. See sample DAR form for this.
7. Suggest Sellers and Buyers sign the COVID-19 addendum to Agreement of Sale to allow for delays in the transaction. See sample DAR form for this.
8. Complete paperwork electronically except when necessary to have a “wet” signature.
9. Keep physical contact with other people to a minimum. When physical contact with other people is necessary, maintain a six foot separation between you.
10. As part of arranging to meet with someone, ask them to complete a form about their COVID-19 risks. Offer them the same form about yourself.
11. When possible, don’t meet in confined spaces unless they have been disinfected. Meet outside if possible.
12. Wash your hands before you leave home and when you return. Keep hand sanitizer in your vehicle to use when returning to your car.
13. Disinfect your steering wheel, seat belt latches, handles, and controls.
14. Do not drive customers or clients in your vehicle. They should drive alone in another vehicle or with people they already have been in recent contact with such as family members or roommates.
15. Disinfect your phone and keyboard regularly. Do not loan your phone to someone else.
16. Disinfect where you met with someone after the meeting.
17. Prescreen potential buyers to make sure they have a need to look for a home now rather than waiting.
18. Do not physically meet with potential buyers or set up showings unless they are pre-qualified or pre-approved for their financing or offer proof of ability to buy without borrowing.
19. Encourage the use of virtual tools such as high-quality photographs of listings, virtual tours, and interactive floor plans so that virtual showings can narrow the field of homes that must be viewed in person.
20. While showing a home, wear gloves and only spend enough time for the buyers to view what they need to in the home. Go outside or in an open garage and stand apart to have conversations with buyers about the house.
21. Respect Sellers’ requests while showing the home such as washing your hands if invited to do so, wearing gloves if available, and do not use the bathroom facilities of an occupied home and disinfect after using.
22. Don’t socialize face to face with your clients and others in the transaction. Keep your time together to a minimum. Be social by phone and other electronic means.
23. Don’t go to home inspections unless the buyer can’t be there.
24. Don’t meet the appraiser at the home. Send information to the appraiser electronically.
25. Don’t go to settlement unless your presence is required by the settlement lawyer. Join settlement by facetime or other electronic means if you want to be part of the process.
26. Use social media responsibly and not to entice people to leave their homes. Remember they are subject to an order to “shelter in place of residence”.
27. For sellers who need to list their homes, you can take new listings.
28. For buyers who need to buy you can negotiate Agreements of Sale.
29. Display a positive attitude to help people through this. Do not panic, stay informed, and use your best judgment and common sense.