The coronavirus is something you’re familiar with by now, and it’s had an impact on everything we do, including how we buy and sell real estate. If your circumstances have put you in a position where you have to relocate, whether for a new job or because of job loss, you might be concerned about putting your house on the market. This is understandable, however, but you should know that there are ways to keep your family safe when you have no choice.
Impact
The virus is not likely to have an effect on the economy as significant as the housing bubble bust of 2008. While home construction has slowed and prices are already dropping, many expect that it will stabilize by 2021, with a reduction in home values of just about two percent.
A New Normal
Real estate professionals have reacted swiftly to the virus, and since real estate is an essential activity in all 50 states, the industry has barely missed a beat keeping pace. 3D showings and virtual walkthroughs are the norms, and many buyers are choosing these instead of an in-person showing. Even closing offices have changed their procedures to reflect our current health crisis.
What You Can Do
Although there’s nothing you can do to change the market, there are ways that you can make your home more desirable for the buyers who are out there. One of the most effective is to spend some time outdoors improving your property’s curb appeal. You want to make sure that the grass is cut neatly and that you don’t have weeds sticking up in the corners and crevices of your flowerbeds. The experts at Family Handyman assert that you want your buyers to react by immediately envisioning themselves living in your home.
Cleanliness on the inside comes next. And with the coronavirus pandemic continuing to frighten buyers, you’ll also want to focus on sanitation. Disinfect your kitchen and bathrooms and make sure to wipe down high-touch surfaces, like doorknobs and light switches, routinely. And although your buyers won’t — at least they should not — be laying down in your bed, it’s a good idea to change the sheets twice each week.
Since you will be doing video and photo tours, in addition to ensuring your home is clean, you’ll also need to stage it so that it looks marvelous in photos. Cleaning will go a long way here, but you also need to purge excess clutter. Arrange your furniture in a way so that it looks best in pictures. Also, utilize natural light as much as possible, make the beds, and vacuum the carpet.
When you have kids, you’ll need to stress the importance of keeping things clean while your house is on the market. That does not mean, however, that you shouldn’t give the kids room to play, you absolutely should. Try to limit this to a single room or marked-off area where toys are allowed. The Allstate blog also recommends adding kid-friendly storage and keeping fun/cartoon themed decor down to a minimum.
Talk to a real estate professional about other ways you can keep yourself safe while selling your home. Additional points you might discuss are pricing and when to list your home on the market. Remember further that if you are buying, too, your sellers may not be keen on a sale of home contingency, so the more you can do now to ensure a quick turnaround, the better off you’ll be.
Written by Shirley Martin
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