Touring Homes Safely
As we enter into the Spring housing market, we can’t help but notice the current events going on in the world right now. With the rapidly evolving global pandemic, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), let’s take a moment to talk through the importance of staying safe during any stage of home searching or home selling.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), COVID-19 is a novel respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. It’s being described as a novel virus because it has not previously been seen in humans. Because of the risks involved, we’ve come up with ways to navigate the real estate market during these uncertain times:
Social distancing: to curb the spread of the virus, experts have suggested social distancing as a way to reduce spreading the disease and lower the burden on hospitals. This means staying away from crowds and other peoples’ personal spaces. If you are a homebuyer or home seller, you should reconsider hosting or attending open houses.
Self-awareness: frequently washing your hands with soap and warm water, using hand sanitizer, and not touching your face will dramatically decrease your chances of getting sick. However, if you are sick or feeling sick, it’s best to practice social distancing and stay home. If you find it absolutely necessary to go to an open house or private showing, wear a face mask or cover your cough or sneeze in a tissue and avoid touching anything. As a homeowner with a home on the market, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
At Homesavey, we’re taking every precaution to ensure the safety of all of our clients. Fortunately, with technology nowadays, we’re able to remotely help those who are looking for a home during these uncertain times. Here are some ways we’re helping:
Video walkthroughs: if you’d like to practice social distancing, our home specialists will walk through a home on your behalf. You can choose whether you want a recording or a live video call.
Taking a digital approach: all of our paperwork is digital. This means that if you’ve found a home you’d like to move forward with, we can send you all the paperwork necessary for the transaction for you to review and sign digitally. We are available to discuss anything via email, phone call, video conference, or text message.
We continue to watch closely as things progress, and are staying diligent on how the real estate market is reacting. Here’s what we’ve noticed so far:
Low interest rates: to support the economy, the Federal Reserve has essentially cut the rates down to zero as part of a wide-ranging emergency intervention. This could help those buyers who have been on the sideline and waiting to purchase a home because of higher interest rates. Pairing that with the Homesavey Refund can save buyers huge amounts of money in the long run. Visit homesavey.com to learn more.
Increased hygiene: Builders, homeowners, and home buyers have been implementing enhanced protocols following the recommendations of the CDC and local health guidelines to provide a safe environment for all. To learn more about the virus and how to protect yourself, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
Unfortunately, we currently don’t know the long-term effects of the impact on the real estate market from the Coronavirus. However, we can all do our parts in adapting to the situation. Given the current health crisis, everyone’s safety is our top priority. We will be relying heavily on our technology moving forward and are making every effort to keep business as usual - the digital way.
As always, we offer a free, no-obligation phone consultation to discuss your home goals. To take advantage, please schedule a time that works for you here.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns on how to navigate through the real estate process during this time.
