With all of the time spent at home recently, many have discovered that if they have to be quarantined, they might as well do it in their dream home.
People continue to buy and sell houses. It's only the process that changes.
Fortunately, real estate professionals have strategies.
* Think technology: Buyers were already screening houses online before seeing them in person, and a thorough virtual tour could dramatically increase the number of eyes on your property. A 2018 report said that 46 percent of buyers found a virtual tour very useful, while 74 percent used the internet to search for homes. Among millennials, that figure leaped to 92 percent.
* Sellers may request more hand-washing. Another survey, this one in March, found that more sellers were requesting that visitors wash their hands or use sanitizer. (Some may also request the use of booties, a commonplace request already.)
* Open houses may limit the number of people inside a home at one time — which probably makes for a more pleasant walk-through anyway.
* Technology can also aid in brokering a deal. Already, contracts are regularly sent via email and signatures can be gathered online. Expect more of this.
* Those who attend open houses in the coming months are more serious buyers, as the tire-kickers have opted to stay at home.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.