By Andy Meeks, April 7, 2020
Real estate sits at an interesting crossroads between being deemed an essential service and one that’s adapting its intensely personal, local and location-based process. Of course, buying and selling homes is important and essential, and for some the timing is specific and unavoidable — while for others it’s something that can be put on hold until things settle into a more comfortable reality. Indeed, the decision whether to enter the market now as a buyer or seller is a more complex decision than ever before. While I always start by asking my clients about their ‘Why’ — and those reasons tend to be deeply-held, resilient and long-term focused — the reality of coronavirus has changed the context and process of ‘How’ (and even ‘When’) we can realize those goals together.
Brokers across the metro region are quickly adapting to meet the challenges of marketing and showing homes in a safe and responsible manner. This is as much a personal decision for the brokers, as well as in meeting the needs of their clients and protecting their health and safety. Brokers have been quick to implement basic health and sanitation protocols, like sanitizing between showings, requesting that all lights and doors are opened prior to a showing to eliminate the need to touch anything during a tour, requiring shoe booties, and treating all hard surfaces that may have been touched with a sanitizing wipe or spray.
At this time, open houses are strictly prohibited and in-person tours are discouraged in favor of virtual tours, so seeing homes as a buyer is more challenging. And when in-person tours do happen, they must be limited to no more than two people in the home at one time — the broker + one client. Technology allows a great degree of information-gathering and dispersal, and virtual tours are becoming a new standard offering for active listings. All of this can help narrow down home choices for buyers, but there’s no substitute for being inside a home and experiencing the feel of the physical space.
My own comfort levels with touring vacant homes has increased from when things were new and more unsettled a few weeks ago when I had put all of those on hold. Fortunately, my buyer clients have been flexible and understanding, and willing to wait until things get to a better place. I’m now able to preview vacant homes for clients, do live FaceTime tours, record Marco Polo videos, and, of course, show homes directly to my clients. Previewing and touring occupied homes is still a line I’m unwilling to cross, but perhaps my views on that will change in the coming weeks, as well. Overall, most of my work these days have been for transactions that were in process from late February through early March, and so I’ve been working a lot with the lenders and escrow companies to make sure those deals get closed.
On that note, escrow companies continue to be the frontline heroes of this industry, and are rapidly adapting to reduce exposures and potential spreading by limiting only parties to the transaction at the closing table and even making physical changes to their closing tables with plastic screens separating the escrow officer from the buyers/sellers. Many escrow companies are employing mobile notaries that will meet clients at their home or somewhere mutually convenient, further reducing the number of people that need to interact during this part of the process. I miss not being at the closing table with my clients, and key handoffs are not quite the celebration they used to be. Not being able to shake hands, fist bump, high five and hug is a big shift during what is the culmination of a lot of invested time, emotion and teamwork.
In the end, real estate is a service industry – one that’s intensely personal and requires a great degree of cooperation and coordination among countless individuals working together to successfully close a transaction. And this has never been more relevant than right now. My business has always been service-first and client-focused, so regardless of the world’s situation, my clients ‘Why’ will continue to be the first question I ask. Figuring out the ‘How’ and ‘When’ together is the new challenge, and I look forward to navigating those new realities in the weeks and months ahead.
Header Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
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ANDY MEEKS
Living Room Realty
Licensed Oregon Broker | Earth Advantage REALTOR®
andy@livingroomre.com | 971.400.0195 | PDX
Your referrals are at the heart of my business,
and always greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Andy Meeks
Principal Broker | OR
He/Him
My clients are always my top priority, and my singular focus is their success. This is the intention I set every day.
My training and background as a licensed attorney helps me lead with a sharp attention to detail, a keen ear and focused voice, and an unwavering commitment to integrity, transparency and discretion.
I’m a passionate advocate and I thrive when helping others succeed, and I’m always available to connect over a cup of coffee to learn how I can help make good things happen.
Read my client reviews here.
The choice to become a real estate broker was a joyful combination of two very different careers. Prior to moving to Portland in 2008, I was an environmental and title closing attorney in Massachustts. Since then, I've served as a program manager and fundraising professional for Portland-based non-profit organizations Friends of Trees, The Freshwater Trust and Ecotrust.
While not scouting homes and helping clients, you can find me riding bicycles, skiing, digging in the garden, experimenting in the kitchen, and exploring the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Please let me know how I can help you or someone you know. Thank you!
*I'm licensed as an attorney in Massachusetts and can't offer any sort of legal advice.
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