We've all heard about the little touches that make your house more appealing during an open house - like baking a fresh batch of cookies or leaving a bowl of lemons on the counter. However, considering the events of the last few months, there are other steps you and your real estate agent should take to put potential buyers at ease.
"These are definitely unprecedented times, but that hasn't slowed the market. In fact, houses are getting snapped up almost as fast as they're listed, making it a great time to sell a house," said Kazantzis Real Estate Owner and Agent Andrea Kazantzis. "Due to the hot market, we haven't even had the need to hold open houses recently. However, for anyone holding one, there are steps you and your agent can and should take to ensure everyone's safety."
Follow All Safety Orders
Make sure any federal, state, and local guidelines and regulations are followed. You should make sure your open house adheres to any limits on group sizes and ensure that people are able to properly social distance.
Your agent may want to consider appointments for 15-minute time slots during which a party can tour the property. All other interested buyers would need to wait outside.
Create a Sanitizing Station
Make it easy for anyone entering your home to sanitize their hands. Consider placing a table - with hand sanitizer, wipes, masks, and shoe coverings - right at the front door. In addition, you could place sanitizing stations with sanitizer and wipes available throughout the home.
Consider a Virtual Tour
Fortunately, we live in a digital age. While it's not exactly like visiting a home in person, many buyers - with the help of 3D images - are house hunting online and taking virtual tours of properties in which they're interested.
You can also ask your real estate agent to be available for live virtual tours during which they can guide prospective buyers through your home and answer any questions they may have.
Just like with in-person tours and open houses, staging is still important. In fact, some virtual staging services allow you to digitally fill an empty room with eye-catching (albeit virtual) furniture or replace outdated decor with new. The idea is to show the buyer the possibilities.
Many of the old rules don't apply to the new reality in which we're currently living. But, with a little creativity, you'll sell your home in no time.