Saskatchewan realtors rolling with the punches of COVID-19
Saskatoon real estate agent James Haywood remembers shopping for his own home.
“I looked at I think 50 different houses before we bought,” he says. “I would never want to do that now.”
Nor does he want his clients to do that.
The real estate picture has changed in Saskatchewan due to the coming of COVID-19. Steps once considered routine in house-hunting — open houses, walk-throughs and hands-on testing of features — are now done only with extreme caution, if at all.
The Saskatchewan Realtors Association (SRA) has taken steps to ensure the safety of its members and the clients they serve, detailing precautions agents should take when helping clients buy and sell properties.
According to figures provided by the SRA, the province’s real estate industry boasted higher year-overyear sales numbers in March (17.3 per cent) but saw a slump in April of 54 per cent over the previous year. Despite the drop, the SRA insists it isn’t as high as anticipated and expects a rebound.
The decline can be blamed largely on changes the real-estate industry has had to make because of COVID -19.
The SRA’S CEO Jason Yochim says clients are discouraged from buying or selling unless deemed necessary — for instance, court-ordered sales, relocation or situations where someone who already sold their home needs a new one.
When it comes to dealing with clients who need to act now, agents have another set of rules to follow.
Haywood follows guidelines set by the SRA to protect himself and his clients. He wears a mask and gloves and asks clients do the same. He asks clients visiting a home not to touch surfaces, and he carefully wipes down surfaces that are commonly touched — such as door handles and light switches. And he asks sellers to cut back on touching by leaving lights on and inner doors open.
“So really just eliminating those touch points and trying to make things as safe as possible for everyone,” Haywood says.
He’s also changed the way he shows homes in the first place. PRE-COVID-19, would-be home buyers might search realtor.ca or listings on individual real estate companies’ websites, then ask to see the homes that most interested them. Those selling a home might be able to count on an open house at some stage to drum up interest from potential buyers.
Shortly after COVID -19 precautions began in Saskatchewan, the SRA announced a temporary end to open houses. Regina real-estate agent Pauline Relkey says that measure has been a sore point to some agents she’s spoken to, with some — though not her — stating a belief the measures go too far.
“Yes, you’re trying to make a living and if you can make a little more money, great, but, really, is it worth it to hold an open house?” Relkey says.
She’s happy to err on the side of caution.
“All of a sudden, my package in the car with emergency stuff is now going to have disinfectant wipes and sprays,” she says. “So it’s changed a little, but for me, no amount of money is worth a life.”
The SRA has provided agents with forms for clients to sign, stating, among other things, they haven’t been out of the country recently and aren’t experiencing symptoms of COVID -19. Haywood uses those forms and has made other changes to the way he does his job, as well.
Haywood has been making use of technology to show listings. While taking photos is a regular part of the job, he’s been putting together video walk-throughs and taking advantage of Facebook Live.
“I’m asking my clients to video tour the home, and then once they do that, if there’s a small group (of listings) that want to go take a look at it, then yes, most definitely (we’ll) go take a look at it,” he says.
Facebook Live has also proven beneficial, as he’s been able to get numerous eyes on a property.
“A lot of people are on their phones anyway because there’s not much else to do at the time, so ... it’s just a good opportunity for people to look at a home that they might not have otherwise looked at,” he says.
Haywood says even when the COVID-19 situation improves, he plans to continue using this type of technology to help clients better narrow down the properties they want to see in person.