Two out of three sellers are taking measures to protect their home and their health. The most common change is that 32% won’t allow an open house now. Another 21% of sellers are demanding buyers wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizers. Twenty percent of agents are seeing more demand for virtual showings that remove the risk of face-to-face interaction. Things are changing.
We are changing and adapting, too. Changing our mindset, the way we communicate, and more than ever the desire to serve, not sell is our business.
We are focusing on service over sales and making our clients’ health and safety our number one priority.
We are doing everything we can without face-to-face contact — virtual appointments, virtual staging, FaceTime, Zoom meetings, and video tours.
In these virtual tours, we will do everything we can to make you feel as if you’re there. We’ll talk about the backyard. We’ll talk about the great landscaping. We’ll show you the electrical box. We’ll talk about the age of the roof. We’ll talk about the strange little frog statue in the corner of the garden. We’ll show you the neighborhood. If there’s a pool, or tennis courts, or anything that’s part of the community, we’ll make sure we have that included as well.
Then, we’ll walk you through your front door. You will feel the experience of walking into the home as if you’re there. And then the tour begins, the great room where there’s excellent natural lighting, wood coating and beams, 9-foot ceilings, a really huge pantry for snacks! We will not only give a detailed description of what you can see in the home, but also our own personal comments. Our goal is for the buyer’s experience to be as if we are walking through the entire home together.
Because the health and safety of our clients is our main concern, during this time, we are not just going to let any buyer come through a seller’s home. We are going to do our homework and provide the best service possible. We’re going to make sure that they are not just prequalified, but preapproved. We’re asking the buyer’s agent to be so kind as to send that approval letter over to us upfront. We’re asking the buyer’s agent to review the Seller’s Disclosure. If there is a showstopper on the Seller’s Disclosure, then we can immediately take that property off the list and move on to find your dream home. We’re trying really hard to weed these things out with you upfront, having those deep discussions regarding, “Is this a floor plan you like? What’s the time frame you’re wanting to move? What’s your motivation level?” These conversations and details assure our buyers and sellers that, this is either a true showing or we are not going to waste anyone’s time. Again, this isn’t meant to be harsh. It’s the health and safety of all that is the focus.
We now have a Coronavirus Addendum. In that addendum, is an acknowledgment to both the buyer and the seller that there are events happening that’s outside of our control. There are so many appraisers in the world, there are so many underwriters in the world, and there are so many title companies. So, the timeliness, Mr. and Mrs. Buyer, to get your lender everything you need is more important than ever. The closing date may be a bit of a moving target. It isn’t hard concrete. As a buyer nowadays, you must do your part. We will guide you through the process and provide the best service possible, then we must be patient.
We are here for you every step of the way on a professional level, on an integrity level, and more importantly, on a community level.
To recap, everything is moving virtual. In most cases, almost an entire transaction can be done virtually. We have adapted to doing business online — virtual appointments, virtual meetings, virtual home tours, and virtual open houses.
Number two, speaking of virtual open houses, the goal is for the buyer’s experience to be as if they’re walking through the home. We will take our time. Show you everything. Open the cabinets and closet doors, show the electrical panel, comment on the appliances. We will provide as much detail as the buyer would get if we were touring the home together.
Number three, the “preliminary homework” we are doing with buyers looking at everything beforehand, getting you preapproved, getting all the details ironed out to make sure you’re really interested before we go further is a crucial part of the process for all parties involved. We’ll do our part by driving around the block, checking out the neighborhood, walking around the outside and inside of the house, feeling the sunshine on our faces in the backyard — and then when everything feels right and all the preapproval is in place, we’ll continue to move forward. Together.
Last, but certainly not least, we are focusing on service overselling. Now is the time to be 100% available to help people in need however we can. We are here to serve our clients and community professionally and personally. Making our clients’ health and safety our NUMBER ONE priority.