How to Show Your Home During Coronavirus

Thanks to Coronavirus, the world is a pretty different place than it was last home-buying season. We've got tips on how to show your home during this pandemic—and stay safe doing it. 

Check local guidelines 

Before you start scheduling showings, work with your real estate agent to understand what state and local guidelines or restrictions might be in place. With different parts of the government saying different things, it can definitely get confusing. Just remember, state orders usually supersede local orders. 

Skip open houses

An open house is essentially inviting all the Looky Lou’s, nosey neighbors, and casual shoppers into your home at one time. In normal times this can be a great way to get the word out about your house. But in the time of COVID-19, you’re going to want to set restrictions on who you can enter your home and how many people can be there at one time. Just skip it altogether. 

Set restrictions on showings

Make sure you’re showing by appointment only—meaning no last-minute phone calls from people in the area who want to see your home. You should also consider limited showings to prequalified buyers only. This will help ensure you’re only allowing serious buyers into your home. 

Limit the number of people at showings

It’s not uncommon for potential buyers—especially first-time buyers—to bring along extra people to help them make a decision. Consider limiting the people allowed at the first showing to the real estate agent and the potential buyers. 

Don’t forget to make sure your real estate agent is keeping detailed notes on who has been in your home. This will be important for contact tracing purposes if you or someone in your home has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Open up before and disinfect after

When there are strangers in your home during a pandemic, you probably don’t want them to touch anything, right? Go around your home and make sure all the cabinets, doors, closets, etc. are open so that potential buyers can look in without having to touch anything. After they leave make sure you wipe everything down with Clorox (if you can find it!) or another disinfectant.

Declutter

Decluttering is a tried-and-true piece of advice for homesellers. But during a pandemic, decluttering actually becomes a safety measure. When you have fewer items that are out on your counters and floors, there are fewer places for germs to potentially hide. So put together those buy, sell, and keep piles, and then get rid of or store everything you don’t need on a daily basis. 

Be a Good Host

Want to go the extra mile? Consider leaving hand sanitizer and soap out for your guests. You can even leave plastic shoe covers and disposable masks out for guests. 

Consider virtual tours

Virtual tours are nothing new, but they’ve definitely been taken to a whole new level in the time of Coronavirus. Seller agents are doing their virtual own tour of homes and posting them on social media for potential buyers to view. We’ve even seen buyers agents take potential buyers through a home via video chat in order to limit the number of people in the house at one time. 

Don't rule out alternative routes

There are ways to sell a house without having to show it to the public. Consider looking into services like Zillow Instant Offer or Opendoor. 

Remember, don't do anything you're uncomfortable with and stay safe out there! Happy showing!