Selling a home right now? Here are some tips…

If you currently have a home for sale, here are some suggestions during this challenging situation with Covid-19:

• There will likely be fewer “live” showings happening. We expect more buyers will work with their REALTOR® to create short-lists of homes that very closely match their needs in order to minimize the number of properties they view. This means that the showings that are requested for your property will be very serious buyers.
• Have your agent ask all buyer agents if they or their clients have recently travelled or are feeling unwell, in which case you could potentially offer a virtual showing via Facetime or Duo.
• In the vast majority of cases, showings are done by one REALTOR® and one or two buyers at most, making social distancing easy to accomplish.
• We advise you to keep hand sanitizer at your front door for buyers and agents to access coming and going. As an additional precaution, it’s advisable to wipe down kitchen and bathroom surfaces and doorknobs after a showing.
• If you’re feeling unwell, please let your REALTOR® know. Similarly, if you are self-isolating because of travel or possible exposure, please let your REALTOR® know. In these cases, your agent can temporarily suspend the listing and then reactivate it fully at the end of the 14 days or when you are fully recovered.
• We understand you may be concerned about signing documents with your lawyer. In Alberta, final documents have up until this time been required to be done in person. We reached out to the legal community and have learned that remote signing options may be coming here soon, as Ontario has done.
• If you have recently sold a property and possession is in the near future, we suggest you reach out to your lawyer to make an appointment sooner rather than later to avoid any potential delays.
• Title insurance companies are also working closely with the legal profession to cover any potential closing of the Land Titles Office, to ensure closings can still take place.

And if you’re just thinking about putting your home up for sale, please reach out to us. We can help you navigate through this challenging time.  We’re here to help and keep you moving!

– Kathy Schmidt, Broker Owner, Schmidt Realty Group Inc.