There was a picture I originally shared on Facebook and Instagram back in May 2020 (I also shared it in our Lessons From 2020 blog post). In it, you’ll see many of the hallmarks of COVID safety: a mask, single-use vinyl gloves, booties over my sneakers, and a full bottle of sanitizer wipes. I was completely equipped for a house tour during COVID-19.
At the time, we all hoped we’d have a solution to the coronavirus sooner rather than later. That was 10 months ago now, and we’re still just as careful in our business when it comes to meeting clients, touring homes, and hosting COVID-safe open houses.
How To Host A COVID-Safe Open House
Although it’s legal to hold an open house in Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors currently advises against traditional open houses.
Your more traditional open houses often feature an unpredictable flow of outside traffic, as anyone from the public is allowed to enter the home and tour it at their leisure. This is potentially dangerous, as a combination of bad circulation, tight spaces, and large groups of people can contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
Open houses can still be impactful, however. They are a great way to show the home to new people while also increasing foot traffic before the home sells. If you or your agent determine that a traditional open house could be beneficial, you should be sure to follow the latest CDC guidelines and other best practices. This includes:
Ensuring no more than 10 people are in the home at any given time (consider allowing only one potential buyer group to tour the house at a time)
Wearing masks
Practicing social distancing
Observing and enforcing occupancy limits
Thoroughly cleaning, especially high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, faucets, and light switches
Requiring everyone to wash or sanitize their hands before entering
Wearing booties to avoid tracking in outside dirt and bacteria
Keeping track of who has entered the home and their contact information (critical for contact tracing)
Increasing airflow with open doors and windows (something that will become increasingly easier as the warmer months approach)
These guidelines are especially important if you’re still living at the home that’s being shown. Although you don’t need to be present for an open house as the seller, the bacteria that prospective buyers bring in could potentially impact your family, your real estate agent, or other visitors. With the proper precautions, you can prevent the risk of your open house spreading COVID-19, or any other sickness.
The good news is that most Pittsburgh houses don’t last more than two weeks on the market right now. When we work with clients, we typically don’t include open houses in our marketing strategy on the first weekend of being on the market. That means open houses are often unnecessary in the current Pittsburgh real estate climate!
Alternatives to a Traditional Open House
If you’re uncomfortable with people walking through your home during the pandemic—or if you’re uncomfortable touring other homes—there are other solutions readily available. In fact, we’ve frequently used two of them over the last year.
3D Walkthroughs
Another major investment for us last year was our 3D walkthrough equipment. By taking 3D snapshots of every room in your home, potential buyers can explore your home in their phone or laptop browser.
Here’s an example from a cozy home in Greenfield:
Like the virtual tours, the 3D walkthroughs eliminate excessive foot traffic through your home while potentially increasing the number of people who ultimately see your home.
When marketed properly, a 3D walkthrough can reach significantly more potential buyers than a traditional open house, opening the door for multiple offers!
Virtual Tours
We’ve worked with numerous buyers who have enjoyed guided tours of homes all around Pittsburgh from the comfort of their living room couch. This can be in an open house setting, where we publish a public Zoom link and potential buyers can easily drop in, or on any private tour.
In these instances, Ted and I will hop onto our special camera equipment to host Zoom tours that simulate the real thing.
We systematically move through each room and highlight everything. Since you’re not actually stepping foot into the room with the ability to hone in on specific elements, you could potentially miss smaller details like dents in a doorframe or a faint stain on the carpet.
We call out each imperfection as consistently as we highlight every room’s selling points, all so you can develop a well-rounded opinion of every home you virtually tour.
Since virtual tours don’t require any traveling on your part, they’re especially useful for folks who are moving to Pittsburgh or who want to move across town without driving all over the city.
Of course, Ted and I still dress according to COVID standards whenever we enter a home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Thanks to the reduced foot traffic, these Zoom tours have grown in popularity among our sellers as much as our buyers.
Finding the Right Strategy For You
If you’re not sure of the best strategy for your home, contact us. We’d be happy to talk through the latest trends within the real estate industry and some of the best ideas we’ve seen for remaining safe while getting the best deal possible. Feel free to reach us at theblocks@blocksintheburgh.com.
Cheers,
Julie & Ted