Selling Real Estate in the Age of Social Distancing

How can Realtors do our part to “flatten the curve” and protect our community from a surge of Covid 19 cases? Changes over the last couple of decades help the industry transition to virtual marketing. We’ve already mastered three-dimensional virtual tours, online marketing, video conferencing, digital signing, and Facetiming showing. So, a little social distancing is no big deal to achieve.

Governor Newsom just declared Real Estate Services “essential” as it relates to the stay at home order. Shelter, like food and water, is essential to survive. Due to uncontrollable circumstances, such as illness of a family member, death of a head of houseold, Corona virus related need to relocate, some persons need to rent or buy housing immediately. I am recommending that buyers follow me in my car to drive by a few choice listings, and write an offer “subject to interior inspection” on the property that they want to buy. I am asking my sellers to not allow showings to a buyer unless that buyer’s offer was accepted. If there is a medically sanctioned way to show the home safely, we will take all the prerequisite precautions and do so. If not, we will wait a prescribed amount of time until we can show the home.

At this time, some home inspectors are temporarily not available, but a few others are suiting and showing up. The California Association of Realtors has created addendums and disclosures to deal with the practicalities of Covid-19.

Hopefully, Realtors will collectively take this pandemic seriously – and not use the Governer’s declaration to circumvent the need to flatten the curve.