As with just about every other walk of life, the current COVID-19 situation is affecting real estate as well. As far as financial impacts, that remains to be seen—and it’s something we at DCRegionRealEstateNews.com are following diligently. We’re also watching other developments and are ready to serve any way we can.
For home buyers, we are ready, willing and able to show homes. But like everyone, we do want to exercise caution and follow official guidelines regarding COVID-19, such as those provided by the Centers for Disease Control. So here we offer the Top 5 things we all should keep in mind when viewing houses in today’s environment. A lot of it is common sense and based on CDC guidance, but we thought we’d put it together here for you just as a reminder.
1. Keep your distance. We like you a lot, but just as pretty much all of society is doing, practice social distancing. Stick to he often noted “six-foot rule.” When walking through a home, loosen up a bit and space out. Just be conscious of others around you all the time. If you do have to cough or sneeze, use a tissue to cover your nose and mouth or do so into your arm.
2. Keep those hands clean. When we arrive at a showing, we will have hand sanitizer and will either wear gloves or have a clean cloth or other protection with which to open doors, turn knobs and things like that. You’re there to see the home, so we’ll show it to you. If looking at multiple homes, best to sanitize before and after each showing.
3. It’s best not to touch anything. When looking through a house, there’s always the temptation—and rather common practice up to now—of turning doorknobs, opening closets, getting up close and peeking through windows, etc. It’s a good idea to fight those urges. Leave your hands in your pockets for now. As agents, when we show homes, we’re happy to open all doors for buyers and ensure they see what they want to see without touching various surfaces. And we will sanitize those surfaces before and after we touch them as well.
4. We’ll meet you there. In the spirit of social distancing, we’ll meet you at properties rather than pick you up with multiple people in the same car. It just makes good sense. It’s difficult to maintain distance in a vehicle, and this way we can avoid any undue contact.
5. If you feel the slightest bit under the weather, stay home. We will too! This is an easy one, but it goes farther than just you coming into contact with one other person. Think about the number of people that could be affected by a single infected individual from just one home, such as the owners, the listing agent, buyer agents, and other potential buyers who visit the home. There are numerous other ways we could describe, but if you’re the slightest bit sick, do everyone a favor and wait until you feel better.
That’s it for now. Above all, practice some common sense and we all can get through this trial and get on with our lives. In the meantime, we’re here to provide the best service we possibly can and in the safest manner possible, so if you have questions or need some help, do not hesitate to contact us.
Christopher Prawdzik, an Accredited Staging Partner® Real Estate Agent, and his wife Angela Logomasini are licensed Realtors® with Samson Properties in Alexandria. Operating as D.C. Region Real Estate, they serve the Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland real estate market and offer comprehensive real estate services, including 4½% full-service listings.
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