The Corona virus and your real estate business

Despite the Corona virus, there are still people who will buy or sell homes. For whatever reasons, they can’t or don’t want to wait around for weeks or possibly months to make their moves.

There ARE many reasons why people will still buy and sell.

For instance:

• Some need to sell a house in probate because the estate can’t afford to make the payments.
• People who are divorcing might need to sell because one spouse alone can’t make the payments – or because they don’t trust each other and fear damage to their credit ratings if the “responsible” party fails to pay.
• Those who are behind on payments need to sell to preserve any equity they have, or to save their credit from the stain of a foreclosure.
• Corporate employees or members of the armed services may need to sell because they’re being transferred.

On the other side, there are people who need or want to buy for a variety of reasons.

Some markets will slow because of the Corona virus…

These are markets where buying and selling is largely optional. Agents in affluent retirement communities are already seeing the effect. Their clients, many of whom are older, don’t want to travel to view homes.

Hopefully the government’s aggressive response to this outbreak will cause the crisis to pass quickly.

How can you safely practice real estate amid fears of the Corona Virus?

First, practice the hygiene guidelines that we’ve been hearing on TV and reading in our emails until we should have them well memorized.

Wash your hands. Use hand wipes. Use disinfectant gels. Do it all as a matter of routine. If this became a habit for Americans, the “regular flu” might not spread as it does, and perhaps 12,000 to 60,000 people would not die from it each year. (Yes, look it up.) That could be part of the silver lining in this dark cloud.

We should all protect our overall health and ability to resist disease by staying hydrated, eating nutritious meals, getting enough rest, and perhaps taking our vitamins. I’ve read that Vitamin C is especially beneficial for immune support.

But back to the corona virus and your real estate business…

For your safety, your buyers’ safety, your sellers’ safety, and everyone’s peace of mind, consider:

• Suspending open houses.
• Having potential buyers meet you, rather than sharing your car.
• Sanitizing lock boxes, keys, and door knobs each time you visit a house. (Lysol does make a pocket-sized travel spray, and perhaps other brands do as well.)
• Providing your buyers with gel or wipes at the door to each home – to use both upon entering and exiting.
• Alternately, providing disposable gloves to buyers as they enter each home.

If you do have fewer buyers and sellers right now, what can you do to make good use of your time?

Beyond the obvious answer of enjoying a bit of free time with your loved ones, there is plenty to do.

• Organize your databases.
• Reorganize your home work space.
• Begin prospecting, or increase your prospecting efforts to a niche you’ve been wanting to develop.
• If you’ve purchased prospecting letters and have not yet put them to use, get them uploaded to your email auto responder and / or set up this plan for postal mailings.
• Add some “capture boxes” to your website. If you already have them, consider switching out your special reports for something fresh.
• Write what mass marketers call a “lift note” to include with mailed prospecting letters or as additions to your email prospecting. In it, tell your potential buyers and sellers the steps you’re taking to ensure their safety in .
• Read your agent bio and check to see if it needs an update. If you haven’t looked at it for a year or more, the answer is probably “Yes.”
• If you don’t have an agent bio, write one, or get in touch with me to write one. Remember that “about me” is the 3rd most read page on a service provider’s website.
• Use a broken link checker and see that all the links on your website (including your blog) are working.

On a personal level:

• Call an old friend, just to visit.
• Begin researching / studying something that interests you.
• Clean your closets.
• Curl up with a good book for a few hours.
• Cook some favorite time-consuming recipe.
• In other words, do something pleasant that you don’t generally have or take time to do.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Only 8% of our worry will come to pass. 92% of our worry is wasted. DON’T PANIC”
― Mark Gorman

“Slow down and think. Panic doesn’t solve problems; it just creates new ones.”
― Jason Fry, The Last Jedi

Since you may not be able to purchase sanitizing gels…

Because people have gone into panic mode, many stores are out. This website offers the recipe for you to make your own.

One of my friends wrote that she had always made her own sanitizing gel, but this time the store was out of 99% alcohol. According to the article, 180 proof Vodka will serve the same purpose, so you do have an alternative if your stores are out of alcohol.

My husband saw a cute commercial promoting some brand of Vodka as a dual-purpose product. First the actor poured it over his hands, then he took a swig from the bottle. Good plan if you like vodka!

This too shall pass…

The Corona virus has put things in chaos right now, but we will come through the crisis just as we have come through many others. Panic is never useful, because it stands in the way of rational thinking.

So do be careful, and don’t make yourself sick with worry.

I do have one question…

Do you happen to know how the frenzy over toilet paper started? The hoarding is at insane levels.