Home Buying and Selling During the Pandemic: What You Need to Know
Resources to help you navigate the new real estate normal.
Technology and good-old-fashioned creativity are helping agents, buyers, and sellers abide by COVID-19 health and safety practices while getting deals done.
Some buyers are touring houses virtually. Others visit in person while remaining at least six feet from their agent. Sellers are hosting open houses on Facebook Live. Appraisers are doing drive-by valuations. Buyers are watching inspections via video call. Masked and gloved notaries are getting signatures on doorsteps.
"We have had to make some adjustments, for sure," says Brian K. Henson, a REALTOR® with Atlanta Fine Homes / Sotheby's International Realty in Alpharetta, Ga. "Everyone is trying to minimize face-to-face interactions. There have been some delays, but mostly, deals are getting done, just with tweaks."
Here's what home buying and selling during the pandemic looks like.
Showings Go Virtual
The rules around in-person showings vary by city, county, and state. Some allow them and some ban them. Check with your state, county, and local government to get the latest on business closures and shut-down rules.
Agents have conducted home tours via FaceTime and other similar tools for years. But these platforms have proven invaluable for home buying and selling during the pandemic. Real estate sites report a surge in the creation of 3D home tours. Redfin, a real estate brokerage, saw a 494% increase in requests for video home tours in March.
"I've done several FaceTime showings," says Henson. He conducted virtual showings before COVID-19, too. He recently closed a deal on a home the buyers only saw on video, he says, but hasn't yet done so during the pandemic.
In places where in-person showings are allowed, agents wipe down door handles, spray the lockbox with disinfectant, and open up the house, closets, everything for a client. "We leave all the lights on so no one touches switches, and we don't touch cabinets or doors during showings," Henson says.
Safe-Showing Guidelines
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, which produces HouseLogic, recommends only one buyer enter a home at a time, with 6 feet between each guest. NAR also recommends agents have potential buyers wash their hands, or use hand sanitizer when they come in the door. They should also remove their shoes. No children should be present at showings, either.
"We're living in extraordinary times and unusual circumstances. If you have the ability to work, you have to be creative," Mabél Guzmán, a Chicago real estate agent, told NBC News. Guzmán, who is also vice president of association affairs for NAR, has put together a video offering tips and strategies for virtual showings during the pandemic.
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Arizona State Parks and Trails are open for
responsible outdoor recreation.
May 26, 2020: Arizona State Parks and Trails recreation parks, campgrounds and trails are open. Many historic parks are still closed. Cave tours at Kartchner Caverns are closed through June 1 - see details below. All events have been postponed through June 1. Parking may be limited and there are capacity limits at each park to encourage social distancing. No same-day overnight reservations.
Arizona State Parks and Trails is monitoring the situation around COVID-19 and the impact of coronavirus for our state parks. We are taking the recommended precautions presented by the Arizona Department of Health Services and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to provide a safe experience for our visitors as they responsibly enjoy campsites, cabins and hiking trails throughout Arizona's state parks. Arizona's state parks are included in the list of essential services provided by Governor Ducey.
We are taking the necessary precautions for our visitors, volunteers and staff as recommended by the CDC and Arizona Department of Health Services. We ask that our visitors help us follow these guidelines by not gathering in groups, maintaining social distance of six feet, using a different park or trail if it's crowded, using hand sanitizer, and packing out all trash. We will continue to provide open spaces, hiking trails, campgrounds, and outdoor destinations for people to enjoy as long as we are able.
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See Links Below for Information on Covid 19
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