Real estate is an essential service, but precautions are still necessary
Selling a house can be a trial even during normal times. Selling a home in the middle of a pandemic adds layers of safety concerns that are new to everyone.
Yet the show must go on, as they say. The DHS has declared real estate an essential service, so while local laws may impose requirements for activities such as open houses, home sellers are selling, and homebuyers are buying.
Here’s are some tips on how to go about selling your house while COVID-19 is still a factor.
Tidy up your home
Granted, pandemic or not, this is good advice. We understand that not everyone can vacate their home before selling, so if you’re going to show your home while you’re still living there, make a good impression right at the start.
Open up space by storing nonessential furniture and belongings offsite. Give every surface a thorough cleaningespecially the kitchen and bathroom areas. Even if you don’t expect visitors to be poking around your fridge or medicine cabinet, it’d be a good idea to clean these as well. Also, remove prescription drugs from sight along with anything else with your name and address on them. Remove personal photos as well. You want potential homebuyers to be able to imprint their presence there, not yours.
If you have a lawn, make sure it’s been neatly mowed. Take care of any overgrown brush as well. If the pandemic extends into winter and there is snow on the ground, make sure your walkways and stairs are clear of snow and ice.
Want to score some extra points? Have hand sanitizer on hand to offer potential buyers.
Catch up on repairs and updates
A lot of people have some extra time on their hands with so many recreational options either closed or at limited capacity. It’s an excellent time to make repairs and updates where possible. Fix or replace loose doorknobs. Repair that ceaseless drip in the bathroom sink. In what condition are the basement stairs? Maybe they could do with some attention. Each little thing you fix or update adds that much more polish to your home presentation.
Create a virtual tour
Potential homebuyers don’t necessarily have to come traipsing in to get an idea as to how your home might suit them. You can present your home with an extensive, well-lit photo session or video. You have any number of free or inexpensive slideshow and video editing options for most home computers with which to create and fine-tune your tour.
You can also conduct a live tour via Facetime or Zoomboth of which work well on smartphones and tablets. Just arrange a time, send your potential homebuyer a link, and conduct your live tour. The advantage of this is that you can answer questions in real-time as you show off your home.
Learn about conducting business online
Whether it’s viewing offers, signing documents, sending or receiving inspections, or other reports, get familiar with the various ways one can share and handle materials online. Services such as Dropbox and Google Drive provide easy storing and sharing of files. DocuSign enables people to legally and legitimately sign documents remotely. Most electronic signing services allow you to use almost any secure Internet-connected device, and there are no mailing wait times or postal expenses.
If working with a qualified real estate agency, see how they can help you sell your home during these challenging times. They’d be more than happy to help.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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