{"id":652,"date":"2020-04-29T19:44:40","date_gmt":"2020-04-29T19:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/?p=652"},"modified":"2020-05-04T19:01:09","modified_gmt":"2020-05-04T19:01:09","slug":"how-realtors-should-handle-their-business-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/how-realtors-should-handle-their-business-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"How REALTORS\u00ae Should Handle their Business During COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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COVID-19,\notherwise known as coronavirus, cases continue to escalate in Canada. But\nCanadians remain optimistic. To combat the spread, provincial governments have\nmandated the closure of many businesses deemed \u201cnon-essential\u201d, and the\ngovernment is continually revisiting this list. Luckily, real estate agents continue\nin the essential category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you can\nstill operate your business, it doesn\u2019t mean you should run it like COVID-19\nisn\u2019t around. In fact, some real\nestate boards<\/a> and provincial governments have outright banned open houses,\nescalating it from the prior \u201cstrong recommendation\u201d. Further, real estate\nboards around the country have put out recommendations on how their agents can\ndo business safely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CREA<\/a>\n(with other boards making similar recommendations) suggest shifting business to\nthe digital landscape wherever possible. This include virtual meetings and home\nshowings. Where you do need to meet in person, they recommend precautions such\nas hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will dive further into how you, as a REALTOR\u00ae, can continue your business safely. It explains how to operate virtually, and recommends other activities that you can do to remain pre-occupied as we self-isolate to prevent the spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hosting virtual meetings and\ntours to avoid unnecessary in-person meetings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For some REALTORS\u00ae,\nmeeting clients in person is a best practice. It\u2019s easier to develop\nrelationships, you understand the situation better due to body language, and\ncommunication is generally smoother. However, for everyone\u2019s safety, we must\nmake some sacrifices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many technologies\nlet us do online what we want to accomplish in in person. Video conferencing\ntools like Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Skype allow us to not only do video chats\nbut also to share screens. This can make the document negotiation process\neasier. Additionally, software such as DocuSign<\/a> or HelloSign<\/a>\nallow for legally binding signatures without ever having to meet in person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You should also\nreplace open houses and regular home showings with digital alternatives. Even\nbefore COVID-19, REALTORS\u00ae have used video home tours to show off properties.\nThis is also commonly accompanied with photos. If a buyer has interest after\nviewing a digital tour, you can arrange for an in-person showing. However, it\u2019s\nstrongly recommended that you avoid in-person showings all together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video tours don\u2019t\nrequire you to be a media expert or videographer. It\u2019s as easy as grabbing your\nphone, walking around the home, talking about its features, and recording it\nall. Just make sure there\u2019s plenty of lighting! You can even do live home\nshowings via Facetime or other video conferencing phone apps. This allows you\nto get immediate feedback on what the potential buyer thinks about the\nproperty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technologies,\nlike Matterport<\/a>, take virtual home\nshowings one step further. These 3D virtual home showing technologies allow you\nto create a 3D model of the home. An individual that\u2019s interested in the\nproperty can then virtually make their way through the home. You can also add\nannotations to highlight key areas and develop 3D guided home showings. These\ntypes of technologies are also supported by tools such as REALTOR.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to approach a virtual home tour during the coronavirus\npandemic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re\ndoing a live video showing, taking photographs, or setting up a 3D-model of the\nproperty, there are some precautions to take. For example, the seller or\ntenants may live or recently have lived in the home. It\u2019s important to ask the\nseller\/tenant whether they\u2019ve travelled out of the country recently or have\nshown signs of sickness. If they have, areas of the home may contain the\nCOVID-19 virus. Ultimately, asking these questions can help you assess whether\nit\u2019s safe to enter the property. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you enter\nthe property, it\u2019s recommended that you sanitize your hands, wear gloves, and\nlimit the number of things you touch. Someone else may have to return to the\nproperty or enter it later on, and it\u2019s important we limit the spread by taking\nthese precautions. If the seller or tenant has to return to the space after you\nleave, let them know what you touched and what areas of the home you were in so\nthat they can disinfect appropriately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activities\nREALTORS\u00ae can do when home showings are not an option<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although you may be stuck at home, there are plenty of other activities that you can pursue for your business in the meantime. This includes improving your digital marketing strategy, keeping up to date with ongoing COVID-19 developments, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coronavirus pandemic is temporary. As a global society, we will inevitably get through this together and return to our normal lives. Because, as an agent, you\u2019re constantly out at showings, your marketing strategy may have been an afterthought. This time at home is an opportunity to revisit your online presence and see if you need to make any changes. This could be revamping your website, working on content for blog posts, or reorganizing your email marketing funnel. You can read more about digital marketing for REALTORS\u00ae here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep up to date with COVID-19<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no doubt that COVID-19 is having a big effect on every real estate market in Canada and the world. Whether it\u2019s the big banks allowing homeowners to defer mortgage payments or the Bank of Canada lowering interest rates, it\u2019s important to understand these policy changes. Current, former, or future clients may reach out to you to understand how this affects their individual circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garry Bhaura, Broker of Record of Century 21 Real Estate offers some practical advice on what professionals can work on during these times:<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u2022 Complete your continued education if it\u2019s due in the upcoming months.
\u2022 Up to date all the admin or paper work you have for your pending transactions.
\u2022 Learn something new online which you always wanted to learn
\u2022 If you work with a franchised company research all the tools and services they provide to grow your business
\u2022 Schedule all your online marketing posts, update all your online information on all platforms.
\u2022 Register any online designation course if possible and upgrade your professional education.
\u2022 Learn more about your board or local organization you are member with by visiting on their website there are lots to explore and learn.
\u2022 Call your clients if they are feeling okay, or need anything where you may be able to help.
\u2022 Call your fellow realtor friends if you can provide any support during these times.
\u2022 Check all new construction project timelines.
\u2022 Follow up all your upcoming closings*<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 is impacting every industry. For REALTORS\u00ae, it\u2019s time to virtualize your business with technologies that allow for virtual home tours, video conferencing, and online document signing. Alternatively, you can also use this time to up your digital marketing game, learn how coronavirus policy measures affect and will affect the real estate market, or to take a break. Remember, that this pandemic is only a temporary battle. We will ultimately get through this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Garry Bhaura originally posted this advice for REALTORS\u00ae on Facebook, March 18th, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, cases continue to escalate in Canada. But Canadians remain optimistic. To combat the spread, provincial governments have mandated the closure of many businesses deemed \u201cnon-essential\u201d, and the government is continually revisiting this list. Luckily, real estate agents continue in the essential category. While you can still operate your business, it doesn\u2019t mean you should run it like COVID-19 isn\u2019t around. In fact, some real estate boards and provincial governments have outright banned open houses, escalating it from the prior \u201cstrong recommendation\u201d. Further, real estate boards around the country have put out recommendations on how their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,144,72],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news","category-learning","category-learning-centre","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":678,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652\/revisions\/678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rankmyagent.com\/agent-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}