Listing during COVID-19: How to Sell Your Home While Staying Healthy

It’s no secret that right now, listings are in extremely high demand. Say you’re sitting on a gem of a home, but you’re just looking for a change of scenery and want to take advantage of that low inventory by listing your property. On the other hand, as states reopen, vaccines roll out, and life slowly crawls closer to some semblance of “normal”, you may still find yourself anxious about the idea of strangers flocking to your home to touch your doorknobs, tread on your clean floors, and drool over your quartz countertops (that last part is, hopefully, a joke). Have no fear! It is definitely possible to list and show your home (even do an Open House or two!) without risking your health and sacrificing your peace of mind! Here are some tips for every seller eager to keep their homes virus-free through the listing process:

Set up a “Healthy Welcome Basket” in the entryway!

A basket - or even an especially nice serving platter in a pinch - stocked with an organized array of hand sanitizer, disposable masks, and disposable gloves, along with a sign asking guests to be mindful of covid precautions, is a friendly and welcoming way to help ensure minimal spread. If you have curious crawlers in your home, considering asking agents and potential buyers to wear shoe covers as well. 

Set up a post-showing sanitizing routine.

Sanitizing doesn’t have to be a big undertaking! Stock up on aerosol sprays to quickly spray between showings (Lysol Disinfectant Spray is a popular choice for its ability to eliminate the coronavirus in 10 minutes), and wipe down surfaces, doorknobs, and light switches at the end of the day with a disinfectant wipe like Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, which can work in as few as 4 minutes!

Request minimum-contact inspections from buyers.

When buyers are scheduling their inspections, ask that only those who are absolutely necessary attend. Suggest that family members, children, friends, etc. stay home, in order to minimize traffic in your home. 

Consider pre-signing your closing documents.

In most cases, sellers have the option to sign all closing documents prior to the settlement date, without the buyers. This allows you to maintain social distancing measures, with the added bonus of giving you more scheduling flexibility. Also, some title companies allow for remote signing and notarization of documents, so if you’re looking to social distance as much as possible, be sure to ask your buyer’s title company if this is an option for your transaction.