Real Estate Open Houses in the Age of Coronavirus

Courtesy: fda.org

With fear of coronavirus forcing "social distancing" around the country, real estate brokerages are creating policies to protect everyone involved in buying and selling a home. 

The National Association of Realtors recommends the following protocol for Open Houses around the country: 

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Open Houses:

• It is recommended that real estate agents advise their home sellers regarding open house activity over the next 30 days.
• We should discuss the pros and cons of holding an Open House in the current pandemic environment. We are to assess the risk based location, and to direct our clients to local and state health authorities for specific information about the severity of the risk in our area.
• If we or our clients have any concerns about holding an Open House this coming weekend, we should cancel it and put a sign on the door.   Bear in mind, a sign at the door of a cancelled Open House does not mean the property has an issue with the virus. 
• We should consider alternative marketing solutions such as video tours and virtual tours of properties.
• If possible, we should request that visitors disinfect their hands with hand sanitizer when they arrive.   ( Keep in mind, hand sanitizer is sold out nationwide. )
• After the Open House, we should recommend to the homeowner that they disinfect their home, especially commonly touched areas such as doorknobs and faucet handles. ​

We are in the early stages of this public health emergency, and there is a ton of misinformation flying around.   Suffice it to say, we should be more concerned with germs than ever before.   Shaking hands when greeting one another is no longer recommended, and we are supposed to stay outside of a 3-foot range of those near us.   

I'll continue to monitor how the coronavirus is affecting the real estate industry and write articles when appropriate.   For now, I hope everyone stays healthy.