COVID19 coronavirus real estate rules for showing properties in Maine?
What’s involved these days for folks wanting to see a Maine home for sale? Depends on the day what the best answer is for that question is because everything is influx. Like most areas of life in Maine, COVID19 caused new real estate mandates for home showings. As a World and nation, the state of Maine government has done its best to set up the ground rules for real estate agents and brokers.
The Maine Association of REALTORS too has followed suit and issued its own best practices for COVID19 house showings to keep it’s five thousand plus membership safe.
The adjustment and work arounds for safety sake is an on going process without a script and is evolving. Yes, MOOERS REALTY is still showing houses but a lot different and with safeguards for everyone in place. Two week quarantine sheltering in place, 72 hour COVID19 negative test results part of the getting inside to sneak a peak up close and personal.
But Andy, today, what are the COVID19 coronavirus rules for showing properties to home buyers?
If agents, brokers, Maine REALTORS are scrambling to keep pace with the tightening and relaxing regulations, just think of the out of state real estate home buyers. Who get a different spin from every state they are considering investing in a piece of property.
The home buyer knows the real estate rules in his or her state if they seriously keep up with the issued daily directives. But every state has a different plan for shutting down and reopening. Lots of push forward, pulling back and the media report quickly gets outdated for real estate house showing protocol.
COVID19 coronavirus real estate rules for showing properties in Maine.
No matter what the day, if you are thinking of traveling up into Maine to see a real estate listings, hold it. Whoa. Check the Maine.gov website for the latest COVID19 rules. When motels, campgrounds, cabins, inns or other lodging was not open, it was drive a lot and look a little and leave the state the same day. Not everyone has two weeks to hunker down and stay below radar when they arrive which is required unless you have a 72 hour negative test result for the COVID19 coronovirus.
Have you seen a map of Maine lately?
Nothing has changed in her size. Big, beautiful and a lot of her to love. She is one large honking state. And not everyone can afford or is searching in just the Southern Maine real estate market only.
Here are the COVID19 coronarovirus guidelines MOOERS REALTY follows for in-person, on-site real estate property listing showings.
BEFORE AN ACTUAL PHYSICAL HOUSE SHOWINGS DURING THE Coronavirus COVID19 VIRUS PANDEMIC.
Check the date of this blog post and please realize COVID19 coronarovirus protocol will change depending on directives from the state of Maine in Augusta and from the Maine Association of REALTORS group.
But hot off the press, this hunt and peck blog post to comply with the Governor’s Executive order and local town of city mandated procedures. This is the latest from the Maine Association of REALTORS for licensed agents, broker showings and real estate procedures.
MOOERS REALTY already pushed the technology envelope pretty hard with our virtual showing Youtube powered real estate video channel.
The need for face masks, gloves, booties and six feet or more social distancing no longers applies to real estate home buyers watching, listening, touring properties on line.
In person showings though are a whole different matter. MOOERS REALTY always suggests being pre-approved for financing to buy a home before entering the entrance door to anything for sale. Why? Because most home buyers end up at a bank and making that financial institution a partner early on the the real estate process just makes sense. To let everyone know, the buyer, agent, broker, seller all know take this buyer serious.
If he or she or they like the home for sale in Maine, then we all move on to the next step in home buying process.
Knowing which home loan program the buyer qualifies for helps the real estate profession determine if the property they fall in love with fits the mortgage program underwriting standards. Early on rather than later down the house buying pike is best to adjust the real estate dials is my experience from over forty years of listing and selling.
Before scheduling a house showing, besides pre-approval for a home loan to select the best fit for financing options, there is more to accomplish early on. Before actual house showings, study of all the images, reading all the property listing narrative, watching the video virtual tours, study of Google maps and the neighborhood all need consideration.
The state of Maine’s Governor strongly suggests a short list of properties for sale to tour that would work is your best approach.
Rather than in and out of a slew of houses and exposing sellers, renters, buyers and real estate professionals to lots of COVID19 virus cells, it’s easy does it. Here is the latest COVID19 coronvirus real estate showing procedures news release bulletin from Maine’s state government beehive.
Whittle down the list, picking an area you want to be in and then go down the wish list of gotta have and don’t want. I know it is a big purchase and worthy of lots of consideration to make the best real estate purchase possible with what is available in current listing inventory. But if a home for sale is way too far from work, the hospital or schools, whatever is important, scratch it off the house hunting list.
Here’s how COVID19 coronavirus has impacted the current Maine real estate market.
What else before a house real estate showing in Maine during COVID19 rule compliance?
After study of any property disclosure, all the plat maps, soil profile, anything pertaining to this address. The house buyer has scoped out the property listing from every angle. This study is so much easier when the real estate agent or broker has stocked the shelves with everything needed upfront for study.
The Maine real estate website should be an over flowing, piping hot and ready dig in and get eveyrthing you need. Sure, come back for seconds, thirds, more, anytime. When it is missing, you know what happens when you and I assume anything.
If a drive by is possible, do it if local. BEFORE scheduling a house showing.
When you are many time zones away, after the video virtual tour, lots of phone and email messages back and forth, face time is an option. I have a Samsung cell phone and use whats app cell phone software to do a one on one tour at the pace of the buyer who we often never meet in person. Not just because of travel limitations or restrictions caused by COVID19 coronavirus pandemic but because of sheer distance and busy over booked real estate buyer lives.
Before a house or home showing is scheduled, the bank lender pre-approval paperwork is a must going in to limit the spread of COVID19 coronavirus.
It always made sense to save everyone time but now more than ever. Buyers don’t want to make wasted trips and have problems with lodging availability.
DAY OF THE HOUSE SHOWING.
Sellers, renters don’t want to see strangers in large close groups that refuse to wear masks, gloves and touch everything who are not able to get financing. They have to live in the place and are relived when the showings are to qualified buyers with all the precautions observed. It’s respect and professional.
Agents or real estate brokers from hours away from the property listing are discouraged from running the roads.
With or without prospective house buyers because of high rates of infection in more populated counties of Maine. The same check list of everything outlined above is the drill to make sure the travel is necessary for the buyer.
Using local expertise from real estate professionals who live in the market area works best. It makes finding someone you trust in the communities where the properties are listed just the best policy for more than locating a property to buy. To use as a local resource for lots of other unknowns for buying a product or to provide a service during, after the real estate sale.
Things to remember the day of the real estate showing.
No one with flu, cold or COVID19 high temperature poor health symptoms allowed in the property. One real estate agent who is the tour guide. Responsible for opening up the property if vacant or coordinating the showings works best in the showing shuffle. That agent touches any light switches wearing new disposable gloves, a mask, booties.
One real estate agent sanitizes the surfaces, door knobs, anything touched to protect the property and whoever may inhabit it and for future tour inspections.
This agent makes sure the doors are locked, windows closed and nothing left running that should be turned off like they found it. No cats or dogs let out unless instructed what to do in the work around with pets, tenants, anyone who lives on premise.
Everyone in the limited number of people shown around in the house tour is single file, at least six feet apart or more.
All in the property wearing gloves, masks, foot coverings to reduce or eliminate the spread or contraction of the COVID19 coronovirus. Open houses are discouraged and your real full motion video tours should take their place. More people see the property listings with video instead of limited time frame entry points to just a few potential home buyers. Those who can just happen to make it to what has a real estate for sale sign stuck in the lawn out front.
Paperwork through electronic means for listings, purchase and sale agreements and for delivery to banks is encouraged.
Everything possible to be done online and not in person is the best practices these days in real estate listing and selling due to COVID19. Real estate closing done through the mails and not in face to face settings should be encouraged. For sit down real estate closings, masks, protective gear and protective barriers to limit exposure to COVID19 or any health condition that could put others at risk is mandated.
Physical distancing in any way possible is common sense and a friendly courtesy to practice today in Maine real estate transactions.
Real estate appraisers, building inspectors, insurance agents, anyone else tied into the real estate sale process besides agents and brokers. The same protective procedures and limited to absolutely necessary individuals all have to agree to abide by the same safety standards in property exposure coming and going.
Real estate appraisers for a time back in March were not entering properties and allowed to work around exterior views, measurements and using anything online or recorded in local town offices and registry of deeds.
That hands off and limited has been relaxed but nothing is set in stone on how things will look in the days ahead.
Stay tuned for updates to the COVID19 coronavirus real estate rules for showing and selling properties in Maine.
Here is the time line to the latest from Maine.gov for the proper procedure in real estate rules for showing propertis in Maine during the COVID19 pandemic.
STATE OF MAINE REAL ESTATE PROTOCOLS
Because Maine is such a big and varied priced state, when a buyers has only so much to spend starts eyeballing say the Portland Maine real estate market, something happens. Pretty quickly they
realize their investment dollar is not going to take them as far as if they venture further north, east, west up into the state. An income that follows them to Maine in say retirement or an online Internet job where they work remotely helps the real estate puzzle pieces to fit together.
Just pick a place on the Maine map that has the best lifestyle and quality of life for the way you chose to live it.
But for many, a job to pay the bills at the end of the month is just as important as what’s for sale in the current inventory of Maine real estate listings. The two go hand in hand.
Open for business of show and tell, Maine real estate listing and selling is alive and well.
Just different for two reasons. Working around the health safety mandates for coronovirus to be in compliance is one major task for the real estate professional. The shift in the market audience for what’s hot, what’s not is part of the new two step dance too.
Real estate sellers in Maine have backed off on the listing inventory.
Pulling back and adopting a wait and see attitude on stalled plans to list and sell. While others are seizing the opportunity to cash in on highly motivated real estate buyers looking hard for anything for sale in the low and high end property listings. Depending on the area of Maine a real estate agent or broker practices, the type and price of what you need to promote to meet the buyer demand is very different.
Today during the COVID19 wrinkle and lower inventory of property listings combined with the more motivated real estate buyer surge makes for a fast paced day. One that extends far into the night, holidays too with cell phones filling up with texts and voice mails and office email server in-boxes.
That’s the COVID19 coronavirus real estate rule for showing properties in Maine round up.
Stay tuned for more developments and what is relaxes or beefed up depending on the number of cases of the coronovirus in Maine. We are lucky to enjoy low numbers and social distancing in a very rural, sparsely populated state makes it easier to do the day to day less restricted than city dwellers are faced with today during the COVID19 pandemic.
