Let’s Talk Real Estate | Taylor and Leo Morrison
In a province that is hitting market records in real estate, many questions arise on how business is being conducted to prevent against the spread of COVID-19.
According to a Global News news release, “Saskatchewan real estate market records highest residential sales in 2 years”. Sales in Saskatoon were up 6.2 per cent, going from 258 in March 2019 to 274 in March 2020, and up 7.2 per cent in the overall region, going from 346 to 371. – Global News / April 4th. The Saskatchewan Realtors Association believes the increase could be attributed to uncertainty over what could happen if the pandemic continues and could be a good time for prospective homeowners to make a purchase.”
Also, “Interest rates are the lowest in a long time, they’ve been almost negligible, we have seen a decline in inventory level so there’s a little less to choose from so prices have been coming down in the last three or more years,” CEO, Saskatchewan Realtors Association, Jason Yochim.
COVID-19: On March 26th, real estate was deemed an essential service in Saskatchewan. Although real estate transactions are still being conducted, several important precautions are in place for both buyers and sellers to prevent against the spread of the pandemic.
When viewing properties:
We have best practices requiring buyers viewing properties to execute:
- Only bring to the showing those who are essential in the decision. Virtual showings can be accommodated.
- Nobody attending the showing has travelled in the past 20 days.
- Everyone is wearing gloves.
- Nobody touch anything unnecessary during showings.
- Cough and sneeze into your sleeve or a tissue, then throw away the tissue and wash your hands or use sanitizer..
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- If you are ill or are feeling any flu-like symptoms, stay home.
Setting up listings for showings:
We also have a best practices checklist for our sellers to set up their home prior to showings to minimize any unnecessary touching:
- Have a bottle of hand sanitizer available either at entrance or somewhere convenient for potential buyers.
- Turn on all lights.
- Open all closets, all doors and a couple cabinets.
During this pandemic, we are simply changing the way we do business. No these modifications are not convenient however they are essential to practice in order to prevent against the spread of COVID-19.
For any questions regarding how we can help you with buying and or selling real estate during this time, e-mail us. Remember to get information from credible sources as misinformation can spread quickly.
Any questions? Contact us. We are here for you.
