Due to COVID-19 the real estate market has been operating completely virtually in San Francisco for over a month, but come Monday that will change.
San Francisco Compass realtor Mary MacPherson has gotten her listing property all set for interested buyers to see it in person, with hand sanitizer and disclaimer forms at the ready. But the scene still looks very different than what it normally is.
Forms need to be signed, masks and gloves need to be worn and viewings will be staggered.
MacPherson said that’s not all that has changed in real estate.
“We can show homes virtually, and if it’s not feasible to show it virtually we can do an in-person showing, provided that one agent only is allowed to enter a house with up to two people from the sam sheltering household,” she said.
Annie Baig, a realtor with Keller Williams Trivalley , said that they’re using no-touch showings as a way to safely let people view homes in person.
“We’re conducting a no-touch showing where we’re going in, we’re not touching any doorknobs, we’re not opening any cabinets,” she said. “We’re asking our sellers to make sure they turn the lights on, have the garage door open, anything that best showcases the home…so we can walk in, walk out.”
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Occupied properties can now also be shown. In order to show these properties, agents will ask for a pre-approval letter and possibly other documents to make sure viewers are serious about the process.
If agents do not comply with the safety guidelines, there could be substantial fines for the listing agent.
