By Living Room Realty, May 4, 2020
March 20th, 2020. My clients and I were a bit nervous because, what we all thought to be their dream house, hit the market and it was go time. Would we have a better chance at getting this house than if it was just 1 or 2 weeks ago? One of my clients is a nurse so she wasn’t halting her need for a home that would allow her a better quality of life. For her current needs, this house was perfect. I NEEDED to get it for her and her husband.
At the time, I was scrambling to figure out if I should proceed with plans to put my upcoming listings on the market. Were they necessary? Entering “unprecedented times” was rolling off everyone’s lips, as was “the new normal.” My friends were losing their jobs. I was still working, and thankful, but careful and glued to the news every day to make sure I wasn’t crossing the lines. I felt guilty for working, but for some of my clients, I had to. Financially, they needed to sell their properties. They were stuck. So I proceeded with the “new normal” precautions of social distancing; Requiring appointments, even though my listings were vacant, so I could space out the amount of people in the home and make time for sanitizing between showings. Offering sanitizing stations for those that do enter the house and offering specific instructions of how to enter and what not to touch. I even went as far as requiring a pre-approval letter of clients from agents who wanted to show the house. This wasn’t the time for non-serious looky-loos. It was surreal and almost scary. Looking back on it now, I almost giggle, because I’m already used to “the new normal.” How quickly we adapt!
We were the first group to see this little house and my clients fell in love with it. I knew we had to be hasty but didn’t know how the sellers would react to such a quick and bold offer. I didn’t care. Luckily, I’ve worked with their agent before and knew we could get this transaction done, drama free, and in the best interest for all parties. And we did. We had little competition and the sellers knew my buyers were the right fit for their particular needs. Getting simultaneous closings done on any given day, much less during a pandemic, can be tricky and emotional, but this one was smooth sailing. On paper, you’d never look at the transaction documents and figure it was during some unprecedented time. The thing that WAS different and what I missed so much, is the bonding I didn’t get to do with my clients since we had to keep such distance between us. The inspection was done with only two inspectors at the house. One for the outside and one for the inside. We were not present. We discussed the inspection report over the phone. Luckily there were minimal repairs needed so we could limit other people going in and out of the house. And then we were done with negotiations. My clients went to the house once. ONCE! They didn’t get the chance to explore the house again and again, and bring family members by to see it multiple times before closing. I feel like their first time buying experience was robbed a little, but thankfully I feel like they are getting a really great house. And that will make up for it.
