Real estate work during Covid19 requires patience as everyone is impacted on some level. Though real estate has been named as an essential service along with construction, don’t kid yourself it is not back to normal by a long shot. The scheduling of repairs is often booked weeks out. In many cases, as there have been layoffs in various businesses, a shortage of the workforce can mean delays. This week has been about working longer days. Whatever it takes we are putting in the extra time and effort.

When I worked at another real estate company previously, we would measure different aspects of your sales personality. When we polled 20% of the top producing agents (who by the way sell 80% of the real estate) we found two qualities that were consistent, one of which was impatience. To follow up on leads and take care of so many tasks each day you have to be hair on fire impatient for results. We kill it, cook it, and serve it on a pretty platter while someone else is still writing a memo.

In this Covid19 environment, it is not about fast pace as much as it is about digging in and looking creatively at how to best help our clients. It does not mean not taking action, but that we must continue to work cooperatively with other agents and vendors to get the job done. We can no longer fly through inspections as we are on waiting lists in some cases.

Dust Yourself Off After Setbacks

Our photographer is busy and many people are preparing in advance to sell their homes, a great idea right now. We were very busy the last two days, long hours with little sleep. There can be setbacks of course. Sharing with clients and setting expectations can help avoid disappointments. The key is to get up, dust yourself off, and hit the reset button. We will show up and continue to work hard for our clients. People still need a place to live and with low-interest rates, this can spell out more affordable payments. Also, some people out of work may need to sell their home and some are relocating.

What seems one of the hardest things right now is getting things completed in a swift manner. Most companies have cut way back on staffing. That includes pest companies, stagers, roofers, inspectors, and repair people. Now, you hope someone calls you back, but it may not be the same day. Yesterday and today have been days where I had to take a breath and say I’m doing my very best. Working within the framework of this environment is what we must continue to do and making unrealistic demands of people will get you nowhere. That doesn’t mean accepting poor performance. It may mean in some cases you are helping other people to ensure the tasks are done well.

Patience And Perserverance

I was working with a friend yesterday on a co-listing and she was very honest with a seller after a disappointment with a vendor. She said we just don’t know when we will be able to get someone back out and it may cost more. We will get someone but it’s going to take time, she said. The client understood. We didn’t say, ” no worries this will be done right away.” The truth is we are working on it round the clock. We will get the job done but it requires patience and perseverance in this Covid19 climate. Our sellers are amazing people, we are so very grateful for so many wonderful clients.

Interviewing Vendors

We have to interview vendors very carefully as they are making promises and they don’t always deliver. We have the best plumber but he is on a job in the bay area for a few weeks. Some vendors have scheduling issues as they may have skeleton crews and suffer from exhaustion. We can’t control someone else’s performance but we can fire them and start over which is what we have to sometimes do. This means delays and postponing other steps as there is a sequence to properly preparing a home for sale.

Set Expectations With Clients

I’m now setting expectations with clients much more carefully as this market demands it. I find myself on a daily basis saying, folks, we need your patience during this time as it’s a team effort. Talking openly about the counties that have implemented restrictions with regard to how we show homes is critical. As information becomes available, we continue to post it for everyone.

There are addendums with regard to Covid19 that buyers must sign before being shown a property. Trying to hold escrows together takes much more effort right now. We are doing our very best each day to sell your home, which is almost a daily conversation. Sharing the smallest details is what helps sellers the most.

Price Correctly

Now, it is more important than ever to price correctly as homes are still selling if they are priced to sell, based on closed sales. Loan qualifications are more stringent and working with a great lender is more critical than ever. I think what worries sellers the most now is that property is not being shown as frequently. More buyers are looking online at photos and area, driving by first. If there is something that buyers decide is not appealing, they don’t come and take a look. The good news, buyers that are serious and qualified are looking, there is no window shopping right now.

Keep the faith. Warmer temperatures are on the way. We are working harder than ever to help our clients sell and buy homes. Real estate work during Covid19 requires extra patience and diligence. We have several homes in escrow right now and working hard to close them. If you are looking for information on how to buy or sell a home during Covid19 call Weintraub & Wallace Realtors, with RE/MAX Gold. We can be reached at 916-233-6759.

JaCi Wallace