Calderdale estate agents welcome return to work
AS PART of the initial measures to gently ease lockdown restrictions last week, people can now invite prospective buyers back into their homes.
That means estate agents were thrust back into the world of work, and are now coming into contact with members of the public.
Ami Baxter, who owns Baxter’s Estate Agents in Elland, said: “My customers come first and I would never put them in harm’s way so on viewings I am requesting people to wear masks or face coverings at viewings, not to touch anything and wash hands or put gloves on at the door before they go in.
“I am opening the doors and waiting outside to answer any questions. I am also wearing a mask and sanitising my hands.
“The market is going to pick up, I have no doubt about it. In fact, I feel like I have just picked up from the day we locked down so that’s positive and buyers are still out there so the local market will continue to thrive.”
Claire Sheehan, who runs her own estate agents in Hebden Bridge and is secretary of the Hebden Bridge Business Forum, said: “I believe the Government
is being rather vague and almost passing the buck in failing to set proper guidelines as to who should be working, who should be exempt etc - no one wants to be responsible if things go wrong. Employers are fearful of future tribunals and are sometimes caught between a rock and a hard place - yes let’s get the economy moving - but let’s keep staff and customers safe. We do have a lot of pent up demand, both people wanting to buy houses and people wanting to sell and our rental market is always busy. So it does make sense to start things moving again.
“The priority however, has to be keeping safe. So I think everybody will have to work at a much slower pace than we are used to - this is the new normal.”
Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley, which has an office in Elland, said: “We will be reopening as soon as the final deep cleans have taken place and health and safety measures are in place. We are working remotely and are accessible to our clients. We agreed our first sale at 9.15am on the morning after the announcement, so things are looking positive.”
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