Social distancing in home selling: How Lehigh Valley real estate agents are adapting to new reality

The housing market scene might soon resemble more of a hospital and less of a home but Lehigh Valley real estate agents say these measures are going to be crucial moving forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Tom Wolf this past Tuesday issued guidance that would allow more home sales and other real estate transactions. The real estate industry since Wolf’s March 19 shutdown of all non-essential businesses has taken a hit. Pending sales dropped 76% percent -- from 859 sales in April 2019 to 204 sales in April 2020 -- across Northampton and Lehigh counties, according to the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors group.

Justin Porembo, the group’s CEO, reported agents were having a hard time finalizing transactions, especially when buyers or sellers wants to move between a yellow county and red county or vice versa in Wolf’s three-tiered reopening phases. This also is coupled with the inability to gain proper inspections and appraisals, he had said.

Wolf now, however, is allowing in-person real estate transactions -- with some limits -- in all colored phases. The phases are color-coded by red for the current, most restrictive approach to yellow and, finally, green. The easing of restrictions in real estate now allows no more than the real estate professional and two people inside a property at any time, as well as sanitizing and social distancing measures. Everyone present at a property offered for sale must wear masks or face coverings.

Rebecca L. Decker Francis, who leads The Rebecca Francis Team affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, said within minutes of her receiving notice about the governor’s easing of restrictions, her phone began ringing off the hook. She received requests from agents requesting showings of several listings. The result was a buyer physically able to view a property Wednesday and placing the sale under agreement by Thursday.

“Things are hopping,” Francis said.

But bringing these transactions across the finish line at a time when the Lehigh Valley remains in the red zone continues to pose challenges and things are far from business as usual, she said.

Real estate agents now have to consider a whole new set of paperwork guidelines. There are verbal interviews with each person at a home -- including buyer, seller or agent -- to make sure all are safe and healthy. Additionally, there are written checklists encouraged by state health officials, which may include asking if any maintenance workers entered the home, Francis said.

In-person property showings, appraisals, inspections, and final walk-throughs will need to be by scheduled appointment only. Each agent must then maintain records of all appointments, including contact information for all participants.

“This is critical so that in the event of any COVID-19 infections or exposures, it can be traced,” Francis said.

Creighton Faust, a real estate broker with RE/MAX Central, echoed the importance of adhering to the new health and safety measures to keep the industry essential.

“Indeed the flood gates have opened. It’s a good sign for our business and the overall economy but of course we need to keep everyone’s safety front and center," he said.

Faust said buyers also can expect such things as hand sanitizers, disposable booties and gloves when entering homes as the new norm. They might be asked to not touch certain things in the home and have additional family members wait outside. He plans to use electronic signatures as much as possible to help thwart the spread of COVID-19.

"All industries are going through these adjustments,' he said. “It reminds me a bit of ‘Who moved my cheese.’ "

In terms of social distancing, Faust plans to park cars further apart to give those entering and leaving a house proper space. Scheduling, he said, will remain a challenge given Wolf’s new order of just three people allowed inside a home at once.

“This will slow the pace down a bit as some properties in the past would allow multiple showings to overlap and essentially happen simultaneously,” he said.

Conventional open houses, previously held for multiple hours on a weekend for those wanting to see a property, will remain prohibited, Francis said. She also plans to space out showings in 30-minute intervals and no agent or broker will ride in the same car with customers or anyone else to work-related places.

Victoria Roelke, a real estate agent with the John Blair Team in Coopersburg affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, said she’s glad to be back in a way that better serves her clients.

Creative adaptions by real estate agents to iron out deals prior to Wolf easing up on restrictions ran the gamut from virtual reality home tours to 3D home staging and livestream virtual open houses. Others were tapping into social media to market homes. These methods put potential homebuyers in a home without anyone having to physically enter a home that’s for sale.

Roelke anticipated some virtual showings to continue, but that method didn’t allow for professional photography, video and staging services. These things, she said, are needed to help show homes in the best light.

Social distancing might mean initially showing potential buyers a home over video and then after completing a virtual tour, a physical in-person tour could be scheduled if the buyer remains interested. A health screening must be signed by all parties 24 hours before a physical showing, Roelke said.

Roelke also expected such things as door handles, knobs and switches to be wiped down before and after all showings. Sellers will continue to open such doors as closets and basements for potential buyers, she said.

“There is definitely pent-up buyer demand, I am looking forward to helping those buyers that have had to put their needs or goals on the back burner, and for those sellers who need to move it is a huge relief to know their realtor can serve them with great care and necessary restrictions," Roelke said.

For buyers, other parts of the real estate process could change overnight due to uncertainty in an unprecedented time.

Buyers are encouraged to go over finances with a fine tooth comb before contacting agents. Real estate professionals fear agreements potentially falling through in the event a potential buyer loses a job or can’t secure a loan during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

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