So following on my email to you last night, the housing secretary set out the plan to restart the property market with their own press release. Having digested the document late last night and this morning, I wanted to follow up and give you an update on what we know right now, what steps we are taking as a business to ensure your safety and in-turn how this might affect your moving plans. This way, you can make an informed decision going forward.
The main headline being that all restrictions have been lifted resulting in the property market being back open for business – albeit in a very safe and managed way.
However, its important to acknowledge that the coronavirus hasn’t gone away and with no vaccine in place currently we need to ensure we have the fit and proper procedures in place to ensure everyone’s safety. This isn’t business as usual so i want to outline the steps we have taken so you can have peace of mind that we are in a position to get you moved safely.
We are able to offer viewings to buyers once again. Over the last few weeks, we have taken plenty of calls from people wanting to view our homes as soon as viewings are possible and we are anticipating a surge in the coming days once the announcement becomes more widespread. To date, we have a list of over 50 buyers who have made viewing requests and our first priority is to book in those viewings. But we need to make sure our clients, our buyers and our team are safe. So as per my message last night, we will be in contact to discuss this with you on an individual basis.
As per the Housing Ministers guidelines, there are processes we need to implement in this new world to ensure we are working as safely as possible for all concerned. Safety for you, for buyers who want to view your home and for all the team here is our Number 1 priority so i want to outline the steps we are taking
• Personal Protective equipment (PPE) – We now have gloves and masks available for our team to use while conducting a viewing, and also for the use of buyers, if they do not have their own.
• Limits on viewings – possibly no more than one viewing on a property, per day. Or for viewings to be a prescribed time apart, eg with a one-hour interval.
• Time limits on viewings – possibly no more than 15-30 minutes to view one property
• Contactless viewings – where possible and appropriate, we may need to leave doors and main cupboards open, so buyers don’t need to touch them.
• Distance viewings – We will arrive 15 minutes before each viewing to ensure all doors are open for the buyers but will vacate the property and buyers will walk themselves round so that we are maintain social distance. We would therefore ask if we have viewings booked in for you also to vacate the property during a viewing. We will ask buyers to refrain from touching any doors, surfaces whilst in the property and on them leaving, we will sanitise all door handles so that you are able to return to a safe environment
• Limit on viewing numbers – No more than two people can attend the viewing along with the owner/agent
• Health Declaration – All viewers will need to sign a health declaration confirming they have no Coronavirus symptoms
• Social Distancing must be observed at all times
We have a list of homes ready to be photographed and launched to the market. These will go ahead as soon as possible, because we know there are buyers waiting to view, and move home. With hundreds of properties sold in our area each year we expect there to be an initial swell of homes available to buy. If demand from buyers remains near-normal, there will be a lack of supply of homes. As a result and as we have discussed, we don’t expect house prices to fall in our area, but to remain at their pre-lockdown levels.
We are now booking Jack in to Photograph and Film all new properties so thank you to those who made contact following on from last nights email and for your patience during lockdown. Again there are safety guidelines that are important for us to follow.
• Prior to Jack visiting, its important your home is ready to be filmed and photographed, so ensuring we go through the process of getting your home ready for the open market is critical. Creating space and De-Cluttering if required are key – Ian and myself are happy to set up pre-calls via Zoom prior to Jack visiting to talk through this and steps we might need to take to get it ready so we are on hand.
• As per the viewing guidelines, if you could vacate the property whilst Jack is Photographing and Videoing that would be appreciated
We have a list of homes that would like us to visit once now in a position to start booking in. Its sensible we follow similar guidelines for valuations as we will see for viewings. On that basis, for physical valuations, it seems sensible for us to visit the property, gather the information we require and then schedule in a de-brief call remotely to talk through the next steps etc.
We have done a number of video valuation calls via Zoom during lockdown and these have worked particularly well so we are going to continue to do these in addition to doing them in person, we are flexible on approach and happy to work with you depending on your preferences.
It’s possible that lenders may continue to conduct distance valuations, and conveyancers may accept electronic signatures. However, these measures may not be uniform across the industry, with some lenders insisting on a surveyor’s visit for a valuation. This could delay some moves, so buyers and sellers may need to accommodate this in their planned timescales. We’ll advise our clients on an ongoing and individual basis if this is the case.
Public Health England and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are working closely with our trade body National Association of Estate Agents Propertymark, to make sure our industry is safe to re-open. Estate agents, conveyancers, surveyors and removal firms will all be working in accordance with the new guidelines, which will affect everyone involved in the industry. Of course, as soon as we receive further clarification, we will provide further updates on an ongoing basis.
If you’re selling your home with us right now, it’s important to be viewing-ready as per the viewing guidelines we discussed above.
To make sure your home is safe to view, and reassure viewers, all surfaces need to be sparkling clean, using a bleach-based cleaner where possible and appropriate. A home that smells freshly cleaned will help a buyer to relax, so they can better focus on the features of your home.
But amid the excitement to be back, we also understand we have a weight of social responsibility beyond our roles as estate agents. And that is to practice social distancing properly, follow the Government’s health and safety guidelines thoroughly and ultimately look after the wellbeing of our clients, our team, and our community.
Whatever your moving plans were before lockdown, they may well have changed now. If you were planning on moving home, and you’re now reconsidering, a chat with us may help to clarify your options. On the other hand, if you have recently decided you need to move house because your circumstances have now changed, don’t hesitate to contact us so we can help you to put a moving plan together.
These are still challenging and unprecedented times and we want you to know whatever your plans, we are here to help so please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns, questions or simply want to talk something through.
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