Selling a House During Covid-19

Are you considering selling your home during the pandemic? As 2020 continues to be history in the making, people are still trying to look for some sort of reprieve. Even though millions of Americans are in turmoil, life always goes on. People still need to provide for their families, and they need to make sure there’s a roof over their heads — and some will have to sell their homes for one reason or another.

Agents have had to change the way they conduct business, especially when it comes to getting houses sold. As a seller, we have a few tips that’ll help you (and your agent) get your house sold as quickly as possible amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selling a Home During a Pandemic 1. Be ready for virtual tours

One of the biggest changes that have taken place is how agents are showing houses. Instead of people walking through your home, real estate agents are hosting virtual tours and open houses. They’ll also take loads of photographs so that potential buyers can see as much of the home as possible. This can be unnerving for some homeowners because they feel like their privacy is compromised, but if you want to sell, this will be the new normal for the foreseeable future.

To prepare for virtual tours, you are going to want to increase the amount of floor space you can show off. This means your kid’s toys are going to have to be put away. There shouldn’t be any shoes or book bags lying on the floor.

Also, if you have extraneous pieces of furniture that doesn’t serve a purpose (like the planter that has a dead ficus wilting in it), find another place for it. Just make sure that whatever you pick up or move to another space, it is neat and organized.

2. Keep your home spic ‘n span

It should go without saying, but if you’re going to sell your home for the first time, you’re going to want to make sure it’s spic ‘n span because when people go to a showing, they’re likely to do a cursory look at things. However, since they won’t be able to tour the house in person, they’re more likely to ask the agent for a closer look at things like how big the closets are, how much storage there is in the cabinets, and so on.

Now is the time you’re going to want to go through everything you have and determine what needs to be thrown out, donated, or repurposed. This means pulling out the stuff hiding in the back of your closet, attic, and cabinets and really considering if it belongs. If you can’t see yourself using it in the future, decide whether it can be donated (if it’s in good condition) or if it needs to be tossed.

Obviously, from your standpoint, you’ll also want to do everything in your power to keep your home safe during the pandemic.

3. Tackle DIY projects

If you have easy to tackle DIY projects, now is the time to do them because it’ll definitely help your house get sold. Put a new coat of paint on your walls. Trim the hedges. Replace the light fixtures. You get the idea. These small projects may not seem like they’d have a significant impact on the sale, but you’d be surprised!

Don’t forget to spruce up your yard, too! Curb appeal is a must because that’s what’s going to spark a buyer’s interest and sets the tone for the rest of the house. Even simple improvements like putting down some fresh mulch, making sure the grass is always cut, and even power washing the house, driveway, and patio will help.

4. Have PPE on hand

In the event that there’s a serious buyer who wants to see the house in person, it would be a good idea to have PPE on hand. By having masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, both the agent and the potential buyer will likely feel more at ease going through the home. Why some sellers will go the extra mile and offer booties and gloves!

Plus, by providing these things, you can rest assured that the buyer and agent will have what they need to reduce the possibility of infection when walking through your home. It may not seem like a lot, but you’d be surprised how these small things will leave a positive impression on the buyer, which may work in your favor!

Here are even more tips on how to sell your home amid the pandemic.

5. Keep in touch with your agent

Your real estate agent is going to stay up-to-date on the latest CDC recommendations during the pandemic, and they’ll be able to let you know if, when, and how things will change. Your agent will let you know any changes in the market and so forth. Not only will your agent be able to keep you informed, but you’ll also want to let your agent know of any changes on your end, too.

Another reason to keep in touch with your agent is so that you can keep them up to date on any changes you’ve made (if any) along the way. For example, maybe you laid fresh sod in the backyard to help appeal to families with children. You can reach out to your agent and let them know. They’ll come by the house, take photos (or video) and post them to the webpage for your listing. Of course, you can take the photos yourself and forward them to your agent if that would be more efficient.

Although COVID-19 may have thrown a wrench in the plans of many people across the world, people are always in need of housing. The real estate business may have had to change some of the ways they do business, but every agent’s goal is to help you, their client, navigate the transaction as smoothly (and safely) as possible! During this process, you can think of your agent as your new best friend!

For more on COVID-19 and the real estate comeback, check out HomeLight’s Top Agent Insight Survey from Q2.

Hopefully, you have found these tips on how to sell your home during the pandemic to be useful.

Other Helpful Massachusetts Real Estate News Media

Get even more valuable home selling advice in these previously published articles at Massachusetts Real Estate News.

  • Avoid these home selling mistakes – nobody sets out to make their life miserable when selling a house. Unfortunately, things can and do go wrong when selling a home. See some of the more common mistakes so you can work on avoiding them.
  • Moving into your first house – see some of the things you should pay careful attention to when moving into a home for the first time. Get simple tips that will make your life more manageable and free of stress.

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About the author: The above article on how to sell your home during the Covid-19 pandemic was written by Maddi Arcurio. Maddi works for Homelight and enjoys writing on all things about real estate to help buyers and sellers make the wisest decisions possible.