Remember 2019? Close your eyes, think back to what you were doing in November or December of last year. You’re probably conjuring memories of time with friends and family, holiday parties, maybe gathering downtown Traverse City with the rest of the community for the lighting of the town Christmas tree.
We all know that those sorts of events aren’t gone forever, but they are on pause for a while, just like some of the most familiar parts of the real estate industry. We know this is a tough time for everyone, but it’s especially tough for someone considering the purchase or sale of a home.
All of us on the Brick & Corbett team want you to know that home buying and selling isn’t just still possible; there are some great opportunities out there. We’re working tirelessly to make sure that all of our clients (buyers and sellers alike) feel safe, cared for, and are getting the most out of their real estate experience with us. In the age of COVID-19, here’s what we’re doing to turn the next chapter in your homeownership journey from a fairytale to a happy ending.
Remote Meetings
Our days often start with a lot of remote meetings. Meetings with each other, meetings with our current buyers and sellers, and of course, with our prospective clients. We love sitting down across the desk from people, sharing a cup of coffee, and interacting face-to-face, and even though we can’t do that at the moment, we can still deliver the value of those meetings with video conferencing or phone calls.
These meetings cover everything; ranging from strategy sessions with our team on how to promote our new listings, gameplans with our buyers about how to approach the home they’re interested in writing a competitive offer on, or delivering comparative market analyses to our soon-to-be sellers so they know exactly where their property stands in terms of market value.
We know, it takes a little bit of getting used to, but we promise, after a few minutes, it will feel just like you’re in the office with us. We’ll even still share a cup of coffee (or wine!) with you.
Getting Creative With Marketing
What do all the best Realtors you know have in common? They are also great marketers, or they hire someone who is. We take marketing very seriously here, and that didn’t change because of COVID-19. We are working hard to put virtual tours in place, property videos, drone footage, even virtual staging for vacant properties (or occupied homes that need a little something extra).
We know that buyers are spending a lot of time looking at anything they can find online before even considering an in-person showing (if a seller is allowing them at all), so we see this as an opportunity. Just ask anyone on our team; we’re obsessed with representing our seller’s homes online in the best ways possible.
Actually Showing Homes!
Yes, we know, we’re excited too 🙂 Real estate was recently deemed an essential service, allowing us to start showing homes to prospective buyers again. But, this isn’t business as usual. Whenever we’re showing homes, we insist on doing it safely for all parties involved.
First, we make sure that a buyer has done all the virtual touring of a property they have available. We only want to bring people out if they’ve done all the investigation they can online.
If they’re still interested in a showing, we walk through the recommended CDC 4-part Health Questionaire to further make sure they aren’t feeling sick or could pose a risk to others. We are only allowing people who would actually put their name on the contract; no guests. And, whenever possible, we are using contactless shoe covers, gloves, masks, and hand sanitizer.
We know, it sounds like a great plan. Where would we get such a plan for our buyers? From ourselves of course! so the policies we have in place are requirements for any agents who want to bring their buyers through our seller’s homes.
And of course, our client’s comfort is paramount. If a buyer or a seller doesn’t feel comfortable with any course of action, we will adapt. We care about you as clients, but we care about you as people first. We want your home buying or selling experience to be one you can look back on knowing that we did everything we could to take care of you.
The protocols we use with our buyers are the ones we put in place to protect our sellers too. We know, you’re interested in selling your home, but you want to do so in a safe and healthy way
Our Commitment to You
Though our days have more time in front of our screen, more time refereeing our kids, and less time face to face with our beloved clients, what hasn’t changed is our commitment to our community, our future clients, and of course, the buyers and sellers that depend on us right now to move them through the next steps of their home journey.
We’d love for you to join our circle. If you have questions about buying or selling a home, please reach out to the Brick & Corbett team, we are here to help. Click below to get more information about what we can do for you.