Home Inspections, and Real Estate Transactions During COVID-19

During these tumultuous times, we are looking for ways to keep moving forward while staying safe. In this blog we will discuss some of the steps to take if you are in the process of buying or selling a home during the COVID-19 outbreak. At the bottom of this post we will provide links to additional resources.
Showings/Walk-throughsSellers – Put away personal belongings. Personal items such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes, cups, dishes should all be put away in cupboards, or covered. Should a potential buyer come through and cough or touch these items they could become contaminated. 
Wipe down hard surfaces before you leave, including counters, door handles, appliances and other features of your home potential buyers may be examining. When you re-enter your home after the showing, simply walk through and wipe those surfaces again.
Consider leaving nitrile or non latex gloves for guests to wear while they look at the home. These are extremely cheap and an easy way to prevent the spread of germs.
Buyers – It is common when looking for that new home to walk through many homes prior to making a decision or placing an offer. (I think I personally walked through about a dozen). While you should still feel comfortable going through a home, this would be a good time to spend some extra effort screening homes on paper before setting up a walk through. This is a time when we need to make more calculated decisions. Consider driving past homes you are interested in BEFORE doing the actual walk through. With today’s technology, you can spend a lot more time viewing multiple pictures, aerial maps, and other information right from your own couch. Once you have narrowed down the field, then begin setting up the walk-throughs.
Gloves are a great way to avoid spreading germs. When you go to a home with your Realtor, consider taking exam style gloves with you. Also, as you go through their home, make an effort to avoid touching things unnecessarily. Clearly you must open doors, cabinets and the like; just be mindful and do so with clean hands or gloves. Further, upon leaving, make sure you dispose of any gloves, and thoroughly wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before touching your own personal items or yourself.
While it may seem obvious, if you are not feeling well, do not go into another person’s home. If there is no way to avoid this, i.e. a final walk-through before closing, wear a face mask, and make your visit as brief as possible. Consider having someone you trust stand in for you. Make sure everyone involved understands the situation so they can act appropriately as well.
Inspections – Inspections are another integral part of a real estate transaction that usually involve several people coming together. During a typical inspection I often encourage buyers to attend and follow me during the inspection so I can update them as I go. Currently I am recommending only one of the buyers attend. Further, it may be beneficial to allow the inspector to conduct the inspection and THEN let her/him point out the issues after it is completed. This can have the effect of limiting the amount of time the buyer has to spend just “wandering” through the house. Once major defects have been identified and shown to the buyer, the remainder of the report can be viewed and discussed online or over the phone.
Closings – The final culminating moment of the whole real estate transaction, where all parties come together to finalize the sale. It is not uncommon for there to be 8-10 people at a closing, but this is not a process that must occur with ALL of those people being in the same room at the same time. The rules and laws for this vary state to state, but in general there are options to close with what is referred to as “arms length” transactions. Speak with your Realtor, Title Company, or attorney to see how this can be facilitated for your transaction.