How Can Property Agents Thrive In COVID-19?

COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, has made an unexpected and immediate impact on the world. Businesses large and small, no matter the industry, are transforming, many sending employees home to practice social distancing. To stay competitive, agents must first embrace this new normal and think of innovative ways to leverage on digital tools  to continue engaging with clients. For real estate agents, open houses, home walk-throughs and meetings with clients have been impacted immensely. In times like these, with most people at home, social media will be a main platform for any type of communication. Staying connected to your clients, future homebuyers and the community on these platforms is vital for agents to keep their businesses running as smoothly as possible during these unpredictable times. Here are some tips and relevant information to help you attract potential clients and maintain your current clientele all while observing social distancing and other public health measures.

1. Create and nurture relationships through social media

Attract new clients, keep in touch with your current ones, and maintain your reputation as a trusted realtor and real estate resource using your social media pages.

Keep your followers updated with the latest real estate market news, supply them with helpful lifestyle tips, and provide the latest community updates. If you receive any questions, answer them in a timely manner using professional language. When this all passes and things start going back to normal, it will be much easier for you to reconnect with prospective buyers and people interested in selling their homes.

2. Beef up listing info

Even if the world seems to have taken a break because of the coronavirus disease, there are still plenty of interested home buyers out there, looking for their dream homes. Showings may no longer be possible in much of the country, but developers have kept up to pace with demand by creating virtual tours for viewings.

Add more information to seller clients’ listings to give buyers a better idea about the property’s features. Include more pictures of areas of the home that buyers would normally look at during showings (closet spaces, the views from the windows, the entire exterior, etc.). Take time to update your online listings and try to add as many as details as possible. This will allow potential homebuyers who are browsing online to imagine living in the home.

Plus, by adding more details and formatting your descriptions in an easy-to-read manner, you’ll also improve the likelihood that your listings will appear in advanced homebuyer searches.

3. Include virtual tours in your marketing efforts

Virtual tours aren’t new, but not every agent has them for their listings. Virtual tours are especially helpful at this time. As people are encouraged to stay at home, it can be tricky if not impossible to go and look at a property in person. With a virtual tour, a buyer can have a look around a property as if they’re on a private showing, but without ever leaving their own home.

Commissioning a professional photographer and videographer to come to a property for sale is still possible even with the social distancing guidelines. Just make sure to observe quarantine measures in place.

4. Share Useful and Informative Content

As agents up to date, your clients are in need of pertinent information, especially if the pandemic is interfering in the home-buying process. Keep your clients and followers up to date on the impact of coronavirus on the real estate industry. Share tips for those working from home, such as how to set up a productive home office.

For those who are still interacting with the public, share the best practices to stay healthy, limit contact and stock up on necessary items. If you choose to share news articles, double-check your resources to ensure you aren’t spreading misinformation.

5. Sign documents electronically

Social distancing is your best defence right now so work remotely as much as possible and utilize all of the online tools available. There are plenty of e-signature apps out there, like DocuSign, which you can use to obtain signatures on any pending documents. Moreover, you can send the documents to all involved parties and minimize the number of in-person meetings, even when things get back to normal.