Marketing a home to potential buyers is most often a tactile experience i.e. potential buyers want to come into the home and ‘try it on for size’. In normal times this is easily achieved by setting up a showing or advertising an Open House and inviting literally everyone in. Alas we no longer live in normal times and until the Corona virus scare is over you will have to be a little more creative.

Here are some suggestions for you:

1. No Open Houses

Your families health is paramount. Open Houses make it virtually impossible to control who comes into your home. Most industry advisories are stating a complete moratorium until further notice.

2. Use the BEST Quality Photos You Can

Pick your REALTOR^® carefully. Discount REALTORS^® and Purple Bricks usually take their own photos. Its never been more important to ‘fly to quality. Only pick a service provider that uses independent professional photographers. We do.

3. Offer a Virtual Tour / 3 D photos

Virtual tours and 3 D photos are a great method to demonstrate your home to the most motivated home buyers and at the same time weed out the time wasters. Insist that anyone who wants to see your home has viewed your virtual tour / 3 D photos first.

4. Space Your Showings Out & Insist on Appointments

During ‘normal’ times we would often set one showing up right before or after another so that the prospective buyers would run into each other as one left and the other came in. This was a deliberate measure to create a sense of urgency and legitimacy for the homes value. In the current crisis we would advise against this. Its better to control the showing diary by insisting on spaced out appointments which allows visitors to calmly go around the home and for you to perhaps sanitize your home after the showing has taken place. We recommend that you do not allow last minute drop ins. EVER.

5. Control Your Pets

If you have a friendly cat or dog living in the home it’s only natural for prospective buyers to want to pat your animal when they come into your home. If your visitors are contaminated, those bugs could transfer to your pets’ fur and pass onto you when you next touch your pet. We suggest you remove your animals from the home or lock them up and place a ‘Do Not Touch’ sign on their crate.

6. Place Sanitizer and Gloves at the Front Door

Make it easy for visitors to sterilize themselves when the come into your home. Consider placing a bottle of sanitizer at the front door so that visitors can apply it when they come in.

7. Place DO NOT TOUCH Signs Around Your Home

A simple sign saying perhaps, ‘Please Respect Our Desire for Hygiene. Please Do Not Touch Our Items’; at various places around the home might be all you need.

8. Turn- On All the Lights Before the Showing

Make it easy for visitors to come into your home, see and enjoy all that it has to offer, but at the same time allowing them to keep their ‘hands off’. If you turn on all the lights etc. and ask them to not touch, they get you see what you are offering and without needing to touch.

9. Do a Post Showing Wipe-Down

When you come back to your home, be sure to wipe all door handles, switch plates and any other surfaces that may have inadvertently been touched during the showing.

10. Move Out

If you can afford to, perhaps you should move out into your new home? As I write this article, (March 20^th, 2020) the listings we represent that are getting the most attention are empty. In normal times this does not always work in favour of the seller. However, at this time, its quick, safe and easy for prospective home buyers to come take a look. You might also consider enhancing your photos by virtually staging the key rooms. We have a great service provider for this. Click this link for more info: Virtually Stage Your Home.

About the author:

You can read more about the author of this blog by clicking this link – Stuart Neal Broker Owner & REALTOR^®.

Want more information about our full service FLAT FEE home selling programs? Please feel free to call our broker owner Stuart Neal at: 780-760-2014 or visit our home sellers page www.FlatFeeRealtyAdvisors.ca

Disclaimer: This blog was written for information purposes only. Readers should not consider this information as advice or an assurance that their health or general welfare will be protected by observing any of the content herein. Readers are advised to consult their medical professionals at all times.