While the pandemic put in-person open houses on hold for several weeks, more buyers and sellers are eager to resume this practice. While virtual tours have helped to keep the market afloat during these challenging times, it’s hard to replace the experience of seeing a home in person. Fortunately, experts agree that it is safe to resume open houses, provided key safety precautions are met. Here’s what you need to know about safely hosting an open house this summer.
Keep your home clean, disinfected, and sanitized
First of all, it’s essential to keep your home clean, disinfected, and sanitized when it’s for sale. Follow all CDC guidelines for keeping your home clean and have hand soap available at all sinks so that visitors can wash their hands frequently.
Require PPE
In addition to regularly sanitizing your home, you should require basic PPE for those visiting your home. This includes asking all visitors to wear masks. It is also advisable to provide shoe coverings for visitors. Not only does this keep your floors clean, but it also helps prevent visitors from bringing contaminants into your home. Encourage visitors to practice social distancing inside your home, and limit how many people can be inside at any given time. Consider providing hand sanitizer throughout the home so that guests can easily keep their hands clean.
Keep air flowing
We all know that outdoor spaces are safer than indoor spaces when it comes to protecting yourself from the coronavirus. Help keep air moving indoors by opening all the doors and windows. Not only will this increase air flow, but it will also make your home appear bigger and brighter. You might also consider investing in HEPA-based air purifiers to use in each room to help keep the air clean.
Limit touching
We’re all now very aware of how easy it can be to pick up bacteria and viruses on frequently touched surfaces. Limit how much visitors need to touch surfaces in your home during their visit. Potential buyers will want to know what’s behind every door, so keep them all open during your open house. In addition, turn on every light in your home before visitors arrive, so that no one needs to touch light switches during their visit.
Make resources available online
Instead of handing out paper copies of floor plans or photos, make these resources available online. That way, potential buyers who want more information can easily access it from their own devices.
Follow local and state guidelines
Most importantly, you should follow all local and state guidelines when hosting an open house. Every jurisdiction has its own guidelines in place, depending on the severity of the pandemic in your area. Make sure you keep up to date and follow all recommended procedures to keep you and your visitors safe.
Work with a professional
Finally, it’s key to work with a professional real estate agent when selling a home this summer. The real estate process can be complex, and with all the new restrictions in place, it’s helpful to have an expert on your side. Working with a professional agent who is knowledgeable about your local market will give you peace of mind when listing your home for sale during the busy summer season.
