Relocation spotlight on Greenwood King Properties
It was just last month that Renee Eads, relocation director for Greenwood King Properties, was in Las Vegas for the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) annual conference.
The company was nominated for awards in several categories, and brought home the award for Most Innovative Office Design, and was recognized with the Pinnacle Award for having the most outgoing revenue generating referrals.
Greenwood King Properties also received the prestigious RELO Quality Certification, which quantifies and qualifies relocation service excellence within the LeadingRE global broker network.
Today, Eads and her team are managing relocation remotely, and have hardly skipped a beat.
During a recent interview, she addressed some of the challenges and opportunities for people who are moving to Houston, and what transacting real estate looks like in the age of social distancing.
Following are excerpts from our conversation:
MS: What are you telling your relocation clients to help reassure them about transacting real estate right now?
RE: I’m telling them that it’s not all doom and gloom. This is a temporary setback and it won’t last forever. We are changing the way that we do business for now and probably in the future, in order to have a balance between everything that’s happening and what we need to do to protect the health of ourselves and our clients. So, we’re just hitting the pause button and taking an opportunity to reset ourselves and the expectations of our clients.
MS: Have many of your relocation clients put their moves on hold as a result of concerns over COVID-19?
RE: Yes and no. I’ve had people on both ends of the spectrum, and a sprinkling everywhere in between. Some people are just on hold and aren’t coming right now, but will be coming here as soon as this situation is over. Other people are just coming. So, we’re going to take the proper precautions, whatever they are at the time, to help clients who are ready to come here and to really go full force to get the move done.
MS: How are you managing expectations for those clients who will be coming to Houston to purchase a home and might not be able to view all properties of interest in person?
RE: We are painting the picture exactly the way it is. We let them know that some sellers are not allowing people into their homes at all and they are doing virtual tours only. For some homes, sellers will allow private tours only and with the necessary precautions in place. There are also no open houses right now. So, we are sending our relocation clients the listings like we normally would, and we are educating them on the areas of interest, and I make sure that they are aware that things could change at any time.
MS: In what ways are your agents limiting their face-to-face interaction with their relocation clients?
RE: We are all practicing social distancing, so a lot of times what happens is that the agent will meet the client at a property and the agent will enter the home first. They will turn on the lights if the listing agent has not done so, and if the property is vacant. Then the client will go in and the agent might stay outside. It’s just a combination of different things. If the home is occupied and the seller wants the agent to be in there the entire time, then everyone will do the social distancing in the property, and wear booties, gloves, and masks.
MS: It would stand to reason that fewer homeowners would be putting their homes on the market right now. Have you seen a significant dip in inventory?
RE: We are seeing reduced inventory in some areas, but not in others. I’ve seen it here across the whole spectrum of price ranges, and we are still getting listings, and still getting offers, and we are still having closings. It’s not like it was a year ago at this time by any means, but sales are still happening, and drivethrough closings at title companies have become very popular.
MS: How are you working in conjunction with the Relocation Management Companies (RMCs) to help educate your relocation sellers about specific health and safety measures that are in place?
RE: The RMCs are educating the sellers before we do, so that’s quite helpful. It’s truly a partnership with the RMCs, our relocation department, and the agents. So, we are keeping everyone educated with up-to-the-minute information as much possible, so that everyone knows what is going on.