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Real Estate and COVID-19
What does it mean for you?
We hope you’re hanging in there during these unprecedented times. Wherever you are, we hope you are safe amidst the current health crisis. As you know, our communities have been impacted dramatically by the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no question that flattening the curve has to be our collective priority. We recognize that the situation is challenging and over the past few weeks, we are all learning the definition of social distancing to help contain the virus.
As Real Estate has recently been deemed an essential service by the Alberta Government, we want to reassure you that The John Hripko Real Estate Team is collectively listening, and we continue to put into place measures to ensure that everyone is safe and supported as we continue to work with our clients through these challenging times. We are proactively adapting our practices and protocols in real-time and we will do our best to provide updates on market insights, community services and practices.
Powered By Technology To Help You Buy & Sell Safely
We're Here For You
We want to reassure you that The John Hripko Real Estate Team is still open for business. While it is not ‘business as usual, we are here to support our clients who have a critical housing needs. It is still our mission to provide outstanding service to all of our clients and colleagues through challenging times like this.
We’re navigating this one day at a time, just like you, and things are changing rapidly. As a team, we are taking every measure possible to ensure the health and safety of our community while serving our clients in the only way we know how – with patience, care, empathy and compassion.
Staying Connected
In an effort to keep the health and safety of our team, clients and partners as a top priority, we are playing our part in supporting social distancing and proper health and hygiene guidelines by utilizing technology to connect with you whenever possible.
We are offering virtual consultations and meetings via phone, text, FaceTime, Skype, WhatsApp or whatever means works best. We’re here for you and our schedule is wide open!
Buyer Tours
We are encouraging all of our clients to take advantage of virtual viewings of homes where possible, and making in-person viewings a condition of any accepted offer.
We will continue to offer our high-priority buyers the opportunity to experience in-person, private viewings on a per-case basis in coordination with Listing Agents. Only principles on the transaction will be permitted to view the home, and all health and safety guidelines as outlined by public health authorities will be followed.
Showings & Open Houses
We are offering live, interactive and virtual Open Houses at all of our listings, as well as providing 3D virtual tours to allow potential buyers to do a virtual walkthrough.
We will be handling showing requests on a case-by-case basis, and restricting in-person showings to buyers with an accepted conditional offer or an offer pending contingent on physical inspection only.
Digital Offers
Although this is an uneasy time, we are committed to ensuring all options are available to our buyers, sellers and investors. Our team is already paperless when it comes to contracts and we will continue to only submit and receive offers electronically with DocuSign.
Community Support
We want to extend our support to anyone reading this as well. If you find yourself in need of anything, but don’t have the means to get it, please reach out to us – even if you just need to talk to someone.
Let’s show empathy and have patience with our neighbours – everyone is stressed and just trying to navigate things the best we can. We’re in this together.
3D Virtual Tours
We are following all of the recommended health and safety guidelines outlined by our local health officials and by our Real Estate Board, and we are all but eliminating in-person showings at every one of our listings. However, our in-house marketing team has been working hard to provide our clients with the latest technology to market and sell their homes…virtually.
We are proud to offer our clients the ability to showcase their homes with a 3D virtual tour. Prospective buyers can do their own walk-through of your home from anywhere, anytime, on their phone, tablet or computer. Our 3D walkthroughs go far beyond your standard 360 tours. It’s the most realistic, immersive way for a buyer to experience a property online and enables viewers to feel like they’re really there.
This will allow us to attract only the most qualified prospects by giving buyers the most complete representation of your property without ever having to step inside.
Viewing Guidelines
While it is not ‘business as usual’, we are here to support our clients who have a critical housing needs: those who have sold their home and not yet purchased, or those who must sell or buy to meet their personal financial obligations or provide shelter for their family.
Royal LePage is committed to the health and safety of its clients, REALTORS® and the communities that we serve. We continue to take action to help keep you safe as we face this unprecedented global crisis together. The safety measures we are taking are being guided by public health authorities and the government.
Showings will only be conducted in-person if the viewer has an accepted conditional offer or an offer pending contingent on physical inspection only. In these cases, viewers will be subject to the following:
- Viewers will be required to sign a Showing Health Disclosure Declaration, including written confirmation that they have not recently returned from any travel, and that they have not felt sick, unwell, had a fever, sore throat etc. in the past 14 days.
- Only principles on the offer are permitted to view the home in person – no exceptions.
- All interior doors will be open and lights turned on in advance of the viewing.
- All occupants of the home will be absent during the viewing.
- Viewers will be asked to sanitize their hands before viewing the home.
- Viewers will be supervised during the showing and will not be permitted to open any doors, closets, drawers etc. without our assistance.
- All exterior door handles will be disinfected before and after every viewing.
View our complete Buyer Guidelines and Seller Guidelines.
