The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every industry, but the real estate industry has been impacted a bit differently. Employees of other industries can take their computers home and do the majority of their work remotely, but for real estate agents, this is not possible.
When you are not able to meet with clients face-to-face, you are in a dilemma. Especially today, there are restrictions on large gatherings, so holding open houses is not an option for realtors, and clients might be hesitant to meet face-to-face or go inside others’ homes.
So, what is a real estate agent to do? Are realtors expected to put their lives on pause? Does the real estate industry, in general, go on pause, and people can’t buy a home? These are all valid questions that real estate professionals are curious about.
The reality is, real estate agents rely on sales for their income, and for most realtors, work can’t be put on pause until all of this is over. You might be wondering how you can still do business with clients. The good news is, with a few alterations, you can still get quality leads and help clients buy or sell a home!
Here are some tips real estate agents can use to help close deals during the COVID-19 pandemic:
1. Search for houses using online tools rather than seeing everything in person
You might be surprised to know it is possible to close on a deal without your buyer ever physically seeing the property. Websites such as Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, and other listing sites are pretty incredible when it comes to searching for homes. Most sites allow you to filter by price, location, size, etc.,
For instance, maybe your client is looking for a home in the $300,000-$500,000 price range with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a basement. You would simply check all the boxes that apply to their needs, and homes that meet that criteria will come up in the click of a button! Several online listing sites also have videos of the property so that you can get a better idea of what the property looks like in real life.
It might take some time to find a home that your buyers love, but it’s no different than searching for homes in person. After all, how many different houses have you toured with clients just for them to say no to all of them? When the right property comes along, it often won’t make a difference whether they tour it online or in person.
2. Do your part to ensure everyone is healthy
It is not completely forbidden for you to show houses to your clients. However, you should do your part as a realtor to remain ethical. This means that you should not bring clients who may be sick into a seller’s home, especially if they are a vulnerable individual (elderly or with preexisting health conditions.) Inversely, sellers should not have people touring their home if they know they are sick.
As a realtor, you should call the sellers agent to ensure no one in the home is sick, so you won’t expose your buyers to the virus. Inversely, you should also do your part by ensuring your buyers are healthy before bringing them into a home. Not only will this keep others from getting sick, but yourself, too.
3. Limit showings to highly serious buyers or sellers
Don’t we all wish that we could only show houses to serious buyers? Well, now is the time! When working with clients, explain to them that in order to keep both parties healthy and safe, you will only be showing properties to serious buyers. Sometimes, it might be hard to determine who is a serious buyer and who is not. If you can’t differentiate the serious buyers from those who are just looking, consider asking them to go through a process. For instance, maybe have them spend time looking at houses online and narrowing down their search to one or two houses that they are interested in rather than touring ten different houses.
4. Go the Extra Mile
Perhaps you have a very interested buyer, but they are not willing to meet with you face-to-face. In this case, you can get creative about showing houses. Consider going to the house on your own and face timing your client to show them the property. This is a way for them to still see the property without actually being there. Plus, it will show your buyer that you are doing your best to help them out.
Additionally, be one hundred percent transparent with your clients. If there is a concern you have about the property, tell them! This will help you to avoid the situation of getting to the end of the deal and them walking away last minute.
5. Try new ways to get leads
Getting leads won’t be as easy as it was before, but it’s not impossible! When you think outside of the box or try new sales tactics, you might come to find, it’s not as difficult as it seems.
If you have not included cold calling as part of your marketing or sales strategy, it’s time to incorporate it. Now is the time to rely on technology and make use of all the tools we have available to us to get in touch with potential leads.
We know what you are thinking: cold calling isn’t a skill of yours, or you don’t have the time. The good news is, Call Motivated Sellers is here to take on all of your cold calls! At Call Motivated sellers, we make all of your cold calls and track all of our success in a CRM database, so you have access to all of the information. We will help you find quality leads so you can still be successful during these challenging times.
Are you struggling to find new leads? Has business slowed down for you since the COVID-19 outbreak? Don’t stress! Call our team at Call Motivated Sellers, and let’s make the most of these challenging times!