COVID-19 & Real Estate

30 Mar 2020
EAC
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What we are facing at the moment is something that has not been seen in 3 generations, and in a very different world. We have a much larger population now, but we also have greater technology and scientific ability to help with the fight against this pandemic.

On Tuesday we saw the first direct changes for Real Estate with the cancelling of auction house and on-site/in-person auctions, and open for inspections. For some businesses, this would have small impact, but for a lot of businesses, our practices need to change.

With auctions, if you would like to continue with them, you can either use phone based auctions or online auctions as two ways to allow the auction to proceed. EAC’s partner, Sale Ezy, have been providing online auctions for a number of years and can help with your requirements.

For anyone who wants to get in touch, call Sale Ezy on 1300 662 013, email at hello@saleezy.com.au, or their online chat is always available with a real person on the other end of the screen. They have significantly discounted packages available at the moment as well to help during this time. Check out there offering at www.saleezy.com.au/for-agents.html

Open for inspections have been stopped, but at this time, private inspections have not. Even with private opens, we need to make sure that we are adhering to best practices and social distancing requirements. Some ideas to help you to meet these requirements:

  • Minimise private inspections to 1 person in the property at one time just in case. Suggest that occupants or owners not be at the property during inspection.
  • When in a room, make sure that you have at least 4 sqm per person and at least 1.5 metre between each person.
  • Minimise the need for doors to be opened i.e. keep all room doors open through the house so people do not need to use door handles.
  • Have disposable gloves and hand sanitizer available. People can sanitize their hands upon entering and then use the disposable gloves if they require to open anything. Another option is that you open doors/drawers/windows only.
  • Email flyers and other information to people and don’t use print outs if you still do.
  • Clean the premises afterwards, especially the areas that you or the participants have touched.
  • Make sure that you make it clear to all participants that if they are unwell the inspection will not go ahead.

And at all times, if you feel you cannot do the inspection and meet the requirements, then don’t run the risk. Police in NSW now have the power to enter any premises to make sure that the occupants at the time are adhering to the requirements. If you are not, it is a $1000 on the spot fine for the individuals and $5000 fine for businesses. It is not worth the risk.

Virtual inspections will be a very useful tool for the foreseeable future. Whether they be live streaming, and there are a number of services that provide live video streaming, a pre shot video, or a 360 tour, each of these gives potential buyers and tenants the ability to really get an idea of a property, potentially minimising the need for the private inspections.

Use EAC Video Marketing to make a video for all your properties using your smartphone, phone stabiliser, and the EAC Video Marketing app to make professional looking videos that are affordable and accessible for all your landlords and vendors. We have a number of stabilisers available for purchase, but stock is limited.

If you are looking for something different to video, the EAC Immoviewer 360 solution provides a completely different experience for people, allowing potential clients to ‘walk’ through a property rather than just looking at a picture. Using your phone, a 360 camera (Ricoh Theta V or Samsung 360 2017) you can create a full 360 tour in 15 minutes using the immoviewer solution.

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