Nearly every industry has been impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and real estate is no exception, and the way that we’re doing business is changing. Open houses have been canceled, conducting inspections and getting appraisals has become trickier and even tasks like having documents notarized have created delays.

In these turbulent times, landlords faced with a sudden vacancy may wonder whether they should try to rent out their properties or sell them, while tenants are feeling the pressure of dwindling options. Fortunately, there is a way to help fill those vacancies and find tenants in their new homes. Here is how we have changed the way we do business to ensure the safety of our buyers, sellers and team of professionals.

The realities of the Coronavirus or COVID-19 have complicated many things, including the way we advertise and show real estate. Now, more than ever, social distancing and good hygiene practices are paramount. But the question arises:

How can I rent a house during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Virtual Meetings with You:

It all starts with a personal consultation. If you’re a landlord, we take time to get to know you and your needs, explaining agency relationships, the process, potential fees and much more. If you’re a tenant, we interview you for your preferences, budget, salary and work references. Careful pre-screening helps us match you with the right type of property. Take this first step from the comfort of your own home via a scheduled call or video conference. This is a great opportunity to get to know your needs and goals and get the process started. Call 778-317-6393.

Virtual Showings:

To safeguard the safety of the occupants and potential tenants, we now offer virtual showings. Our rental listings include a video tour to give prospective tenants a better idea of the space. In properties where physical access is limited by quarantine or the health conditions of occupants, we do virtual walkthrough tours via WhatsApp and/or other video conferencing platforms. In-person showings are still possible but we highly recommend that the tenant reviews all available documents first, and submits an application before getting access to the suite.

As a buyer, once we have started the process we will email you listings that match your criteria. From here we will narrow down your top picks, by gathering and reviewing all pertinent information such as strata bylaws, engineering reports, or if you’re buying a house, determine whether renovations were done with permits and up-to-code, confirm the legality of any suites and rental rates, zoning and so on. Once we have selected the homes that we’re interested in, we can facilitate virtual showings, so you can enjoy a tour of a home from the safety and comfort of your living room. On our listings, we use a technology called 3D Matter port – essentially virtual reality for our listings!

Also, we organize professional video presentations, check out an awesome example here: https://www.youtube.com/firststaybc

But I still want to see the house

Okay, we get it. This is where we have to really ramp things up, but it’s doable. We have to review the COVID-19 Informed Consent form and Property Access Waiver with you. We also provide our buyers and sellers with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer to make sure that COVID-19 exposure is absolutely minimized. Our showing protocol includes:

  1. Turning on all lights and opening all doors prior to buyers arriving
  2. Sanitizing all the switches, dials and controls before and after the showing
  3. Ensuring that masks, gloves and hand sanitizer are available
  4. Ensuring that the buyers and the agents maintain safe social distance during the showing

This includes ensuring that the seller has all lights on, and interior doors open, as well as hand sanitizer at the door. This way a Buyer and their agent, (while social distancing of course) can enter your home, have a brief tour without touching anything and exit the property.

Electronic Signing for Contracts

This isn’t a new technology, but it has never been embraced more than it is now! Using DocuSign, we can prepare and execute contracts, and send them electronically to initiate the negotiation process.

What about Property Inspection?

We highly recommend using home inspectors to move in/move out to assess the condition of the property and repair any damage from the previous tenant. Our home inspectors are held to a very high standard and have some sophisticated technologies that will provide our clients with an extremely detailed and comprehensive inspection report. Everything from thermal imaging, moisture detection, in some cases fiber-optic cameras, sewer scopes, aerial drone inspections and much more! There really is no need for anyone except for the home inspector to be present during an inspection. Licensed Inspectors must also comply with the same checklist as the other visitors, and follow the protocol for COVID-19 Safety Guidelines.

But what about signing at the Notary?

I’m so glad you asked. You’re right unless the government changes the laws, this is the one step where you technically need to be in person for the home buying or selling process, but our friends at Notaries have risen to the challenge once again. Not only are these folks some of the nicest people you will ever meet, and truly understand what Customer Service means, but they are also some of the cleanest Lawyers in the world. Literally! Not only do they scrub before every client meeting, but here are some of the other things they do.

  • Scrub before every client meeting
  • They wear masks and gloves for each appointment
  • All pens one-time use and given to clients as a gift & paperwork (yes the paper too), are sterilized before and after each signing appointment.

Getting the Keys

The final step of course is getting, (or handing over) the keys to your property. There are a number of cleaning companies that are now cleaning consistent with the Public Health Agency of Canada’s recommendations, which is something we suggest you consider before moving into your new home. For any additional questions or comments, feel free to leave a note here or reach out to anyone on our team, and we will be happy to have a virtual coffee to discuss how we can make your move a reality in a safe, socially distanced way.