05 Oct Tips for a Stress-Free Home Sale During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Selling your home during a pandemic isn’t ideal, but it’s also not impossible. Real estate is considered an essential service in most states, so you should have no problem finding an agent to help you sell your home. However, you will need to take special precautions to adhere to social distancing orders and keep everyone safe as you prepare your home for sale and show it off to buyers. Keep reading to learn how you can navigate a home sale during this complicated time.
Keep Your Home Clean and Sanitized
Cleaning your home before selling has always been important, but COVID-19 has made this even more of a necessity. Start by giving your home a good top-to-bottom deep clean. This will make it easier to keep up with the daily cleaning and manage any mess created by kids who are home from school.
If you decide to allow in-person showings, make sure you sanitize your home before and after potential buyers visit. Of course, cleaning supplies can be hard to get your hands on right now. Remember that you can always make your own! For example, you can mix your own hand sanitizer with a combination of aloe vera gel, isopropyl or rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of essential oil.
Prepare Your Home for Showings
Cleaning isn’t the only way to prepare your home for showings. Even if you’re sticking with virtual showings, take some time to declutter, organize, and stage your home. Hiring a professional organizer will fast-track the process and get your home on the market sooner. Plus, an organizer can help you pare down your possessions so that you have less stuff to move, saving your money and stress on moving day.
When you’re satisfied with the cleanliness and organization in your home, do some staging. Reader’s Digest suggests staging tips like displaying art instead of personal photos, decorating countertops with nice bowls or plants, and opening up your wall space by rearranging furniture. To really enhance your staging efforts, call in a professional home stager or decorator. You can hire interior designer freelancers in your area through online staffing boards.
Don’t let your showing preparations stop at your interior. The outside of your home is equally important to the impression you make on your potential buyers, especially in video showings. Take some time to boost your curb appeal and give your home exterior that wow factor! In addition to tackling normal lawn maintenance, Tool Review Lab recommends planting bright flowers along your walkway, hanging modern house numbers, and installing a new mailbox.
Prioritize Your Virtual Presence
In the age of social distancing, virtual tools have become incredibly useful. This is true even for the real estate industry! Advances in real estate technology have made it possible for sellers to show their homes to potential buyers without in-person showings or open houses. Get the most out of these tools by focusing on your virtual presence! Learn how to take great photos of your home and post compelling listings. Work with a dedicated real estate agent from SanCap Gateway Realty who has local market expertise and knows the ins and outs of digital marketing. Offer video-chat tours of your home to interested buyers. You could even create a 3D walkthrough of your home to give buyers a more immersive house-hunting experience.
You might also be able to avoid contact with buyers and real estate agents during the closing process! Remote online notarization and e-signature technology means that you should be able to sign paperwork and complete your sale without meeting your buyer in person. Before closing the sale, you can use video-chat tools to review documents and negotiate with the buyer to ensure you’re both on the same page.
Braving a home sale during the pandemic isn’t as scary as it might sound. In fact, much of the process will remain unchanged. You should still clean, organize, declutter, and stage your home—inside and out—before putting it on the market. When it comes to showings, take advantage of virtual tools instead of risking an open house. You’ll find a buyer in no time!
When you’re ready to put your house on the market, SanCap Gateway Realty can help! Stop by our website or give us a call at 239-472-5478.
Author: Natalie Jones
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.