COVID-19 has brought with it a great deal of challenges on how it affected our economy, specifically to the Real Estate Market. Due to its contagious nature, governments on the local and national scene were forced to issue Shelter in Place orders while scientists try to figure out a way to stop the spread of this disease and develop a vaccine that will stop the virus once and for all.
It’s been almost 4 months since we first heard of the government’s advice to stay at home to “flatten the curve” and now, as we slowly ease back into the new normal, the Myrick Estates Team would like to share a few tips on how to look at homes while the Shelter in Place order is still in force.
Some of you may have already been thinking of buying property before this whole COVID-19 fiasco happened. You may have already scheduled to visit a place to see it for yourself but alas, everything got postponed. The good news is that you can follow these steps to stay up to date with the property you’re eyeing:
- Realtors are still allowed to sell and market properties digitally. Take this opportunity to get in touch with your realtor to get a feel of the real estate market around the area you’re interested to buy in. Who knows, they might have a better deal for you.
- Request for a video walk through of the property or even pictures. The government allows for a photographer/videographer to enter the property once to take pictures/videos. This will give you an idea of what the property looks like.
- Request a copy of all the existing inspections before viewing. It is commonplace for the seller to have all the inspections and disclosures done upfront.
- You may meet, utilizing applications such as google hangouts or zoom. This is a good opportunity for your realtor to shed more light on the property you like.
- You may view the property in person—it just takes a few arrangements.
- All visitors must sign a release required by the State
- The seller’s agent is required to be at all showings
- Only two people and the agent can tour the property at any one time
- All visitors must wear masks and limit any touching of the property such as cabinets and appliances
Once you have identified the property you want, inspected every nook and cranny possible (via the photos/videos sent), and asked all the questions you needed to, then the next thing left to do is finalize the negotiations. Again, realtors are allowed by the government to do this via digital channels.
The Shelter in Place order just made completing real estate transactions a bit more challenging, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not doable. It’s times like these that you need to find a reliable and competent realtor who can lead you every step of the way, without cutting corners, and definitely not violating any existing policies.
If you are in the market for real estate properties, please feel free to get in touch with the Myrick Estates Team, we are set up to navigate this new environment.
Jim Myrick
Broker Associate
kw Bay Area Estates