Business As Unusual: Social Distancing Selling During the COVID-19 Outbreak
Business As Unusual: Social Distancing Selling During the COVID-19 Outbreak
MARCH 23, 2020 - We’re all learning new ways of doing things every day during this COVID-19 outbreak: Handwashing. DIY hand sanitizer. Toilet paper conservation hacks. Teaching 5th grade math. Zoom video conferencing. (Hello? Can anyone see me?)
And real estate-ing while under strict shelter-in-place orders.
Fortunately, our Abio Properties team has been able to pivot quickly and adjust to business as unusual. We’ve been using quality photography, virtual tours, floor plans, and videos for years, so we are better prepared than most to help clients buy and sell property remotely.
How Abio is working through the outbreak:
Our No. 1 goal is to keep everyone safe and help flatten the curve by honoring California’s shelter-in-place order 100%. We have joined with many other Bay Area brokerages to set clear guidelines for conducting business during the coming days and weeks, since the market is still very active. You read right. Buyers are still out there and motivated.
What we won’t do – and recommend you don’t either:
- No in-person showings. We didn’t make this decision lightly. Believe us, we know how much harder it will be to find a new home or to sell the one you’re in. We kicked around ideas. But the reality is that the safest thing we can do for our clients and ourselves is to avoid personal interactions.
- No open houses.
- No letting appraisers, inspectors, photographers, etc. into a property in person.
- No lockboxes to access the home unless the seller is accessing the lockbox.
What we will do:
- List your home on MLS and market the heck out of it online.
- Invite sellers to make videos and conduct virtual showings. Ask us how.
- Help buyers navigate the new normal of online home shopping.
- Advise buyers and sellers on handling paperwork remotely. Ask us how.
- Accept offers!
Here's a "dollhouse" view from a virtual home tour we created for one of our sellers, powered by Matterport technology. Click to try it out.
Heads up:
The home buying and selling process could take longer, and lending guidelines could change. It might be challenging, but we are here for you. That’s the reality, even if it’s virtual.
Onward (and with freshly-washed hands).
PS Curious about what else we've learned (or tried to learn or at least got distracted by) while sheltering in place?
- Handwashing and sudsy songs.
- DIY hand sanitizer
- Toilet paper conservation
- Teaching 5th grade math
- Video conferencing tips and not-boring backgrounds
