The year 2020 will be remembered in numerous ways. It is the year of staying home, working and learning remotely, wearing masks, “murder hornets”, global movements supporting Black Lives Matter, and not to mention the fact that we are just weeks away from an election. As you know, there is one predominant factor this year that supersedes all of the above, and has united humanity around the world to join forces and fight together like never before. This uniting factor is COVID-19, and it has hijacked everyone’s life in one way or another, as well as the world of real estate.
         COVID-19 safety has been the most common concern Realtors have been hearing from buyers and sellers this year. Some buyers put their home search on hold due to the uncertainty of whether or not it’s safe to enter other people’s houses while multiple other people are as well. Even more concerned than the buyers are the sellers. Many sellers have been afraid to put their home on the market, because that would entail multiple people walking around their home, touching doors and surfaces. This has caused inventory to be much lower than in previous years. In effect, the market is on the sellers’ side due to the fact that there are more buyers than sellers. 📈
         To keep buyers, sellers and agents safe, brokerages everywhere adapted quickly and put safety precautions in place. In fact, when Massachusetts first went into quarantine, Anthony Lamacchia even went so far as to buy masks for all the agents and staff of the entire Lamacchia Realty brokerage! We knew from the start that this was going to be serious, and that safety would be our number one priority. From then on, we wore our masks and made sure every single one of our buyers and sellers wear them as well. (The two of us even sewed them for a while, and we ended up making and distributing almost 1000 masks. Let us know if you need one! 😷)
           Masks are far from being the only safety precaution in place. Listing agents have been setting up small safety stations in the homes they are selling. These, often Pinterest-worthy, sanitation stations are near the front door and contain gloves, hand sanitizer, and shoe covers. As the months progressed and supplies became more readily available, it is now becoming more common to see whole boxes of individually wrapped masks for the prospective buyers, as well as disinfecting wipes at these safety stations. 
          “That’s nice, but I can’t have a million people coming into my home during an open house! 😖” you might be thinking. This is where controlled open houses come in. Controlled open houses only allow one group of buyers into the home at a time, with the listing agent regularly disinfecting surfaces. Some sellers prefer to take it a step further and have scheduled appointments for their open house to limit the amount of people that enter. Other sellers skip the open house entirely because, after all, the market is full of buyers who are eager to make an appointment to see a house.
          “Okay, but what about the buyers and agents that come to my home and touch things during their showing? 😰” you might ask. When we list your property, we will ensure that masks and gloves are mandatory. You can also choose leave the lights on and open the doors, to limit the touching of knobs and switches. A third option for this concern would be to have the listing agent accompany all the showings and disinfect the surfaces after each one. In other words, we’ve got your back! 
          “That sounds great, but what if the buyers have traveled? 🤨 What if they’ve come into contact with someone who has COVID-19?? 😮” Valid concern, my friends. To help eliminate this worry, every brokerage has created their own version of a COVID-19 questionnaire. These questionnaires ask both the buyers and agents about symptoms, travel, and if they have had any known contact with anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19. It is an optional document that you can have every buyer sign before entering your home. 
          Hopefully reading this blog has given you a little reassurance about real estate and COVID-19 safety. If you are still worried and would rather wait, then by all means, wait for the right time! 🙂 We would never want to push anyone into doing something that they don’t feel comfortable with. After all, we plan on being agents for a long time! Whenever you feel ready, we will be right here waiting for you! 😁

Nikky Mollova