It sure seems that the coronavirus pandemic won’t soon leave our society which means homebuyers and home sellers will need to adapt to what may very well be the new normal for the foreseeable future. Open house options during a pandemic are certainly more limited than traditional open houses.
With social distancing, curfews, and general quarantine measures in effect in varying degrees across the country, we’ve put together some options for keeping open houses part of your real estate journey.
Zoom Open Houses
Zoom is the buzzword for almost every business right now where workers are either working from home, quarantined, or unable to travel due to the ongoing pandemic. Zoom, however, is a great option for attending or hosting an open house.
From a buyer’s perspective, a buyer can attend an open house without worrying about travel or violating any local mandates or laws with regards to gatherings. Additionally, Zoom allows for meeting participants to interact which gives buyers an opportunity to ask questions and get to know the agent.
On the seller’s side, the same goes. As a matter of fact, having Zoom open houses may actually be more advantageous as there is a far greater likelihood of having more “attendees” for a digital open house than a physical open house. Additionally, you can record and save the open house meeting for those unable to attend live to view at a later date.
Open House Days — By Appointment
If your local municipality and state allow you to host open houses, then by all means give an opportunity to buyers to see the home. There may very well be contingencies for being able to do so, but here’s one idea for still hosting a physical open house without too much intimacy.
Consider hosting open house days–entire days dedicated to an open house instead of certain hours during the day. This open house strategy should be implemented by offering various appointments throughout the day–30 minutes to 1-hour blocks to allow for adequate social distancing and cleaning as necessary.
Additionally, you could stage the house in a way that traffic patterns are one-way only and allow potential buyers to roam in a unidirectional way while limiting the number of viewers inside the home. No matter how you do it, though, be sure to adhere to local and national guidelines.
Live Social Media Open Houses
If your social media game is strong, then sellers can very easily set up and host an open house on Facebook or Instagram. This method not only gets more users involved, but it can generate a lot of interaction and discussion about the home that other digital means may not.
If you’re an agent, then it’s important to promote your open houses at least a week in advance and give “attendees” an opportunity to plan ahead to attend your open house. A great benefit to using social media is that the dialogue regarding the home can and will continue far beyond your live session and the session itself will be available easily for those how can’t attend.
Consider the Financial Side
In some cases, real estate transactions have gotten slower during the pandemic, and while both buyers and sellers may be a little frustrated with the slower process, it can actually be a godsend.
A slower sales cycle means that buyers and sellers both can work together to hammer out the financial side of a real estate deal without worrying about it gumming up the works. To get started with financing, get in touch with Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc. Tidewater helps buyers streamline their real estate process quickly and without haste. Call today!
