For those looking to leave renting behind or move on to a new home, spring and summer is usually prime time for house hunting. As with many things, however, COVID-19 is presenting new challenges. It seems like this typically in-person activity would be impossible amongst stay-at-home orders and social distancing rules. Good news is house hunting hasn’t been postponed until further notice; it just looks different than it did before. Depending on where you live, physically going to the house is still possible, but if not, technology has allowed real estate to adapt quickly to the new situation.

Here’s how you can still house hunt while staying safe.

Going In-Person

Your ability to physically tour a house is dependent on state and local mandates, if the seller feels comfortable having people in their home, and if your agent what feels comfortable interacting in-person. If everyone’s giving the green light, you already know the drill:

Everyone must be six feet apart
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before entering and after exiting the house
Wear masks, gloves and/or shoe covers
Refrain from touching anything, even if you’re wearing gloves
No more than ten people in the house at a time

And remember, if you’re feeling a little under-the-weather (more so than a bad allergy day), it’s best to cancel and reschedule. It’s also a good idea to let your agent know if you’ve traveled recently.

Alternatives to In-Person Touring

In the case you can’t go in to look at the home yourself or you don’t feel comfortable going in-person, there are still plenty of ways you can get a feel for the home. Scrolling through pictures online has always been a mainstay, but new technology has made house hunting from your couch a more fully-rounded experience.

While well-staged photos are important, their disadvantage is they feel a little disconnected. In recent years, there’s been a rise in popularity of interactive 3D house scans, which give you a better idea of the floorplan and flow of the home to supplement the pictures.

Video tours have also been a thing for a while, but live virtual tours are increasingly becoming the norm since it’s the next best thing to walking through the house yourself. Many people have started using applications like Zoom or FaceTime to do a live showing, hosted by the seller or the agent, so the potential buyer can ask questions directly and get a closer look at points of interest.

Things to Keep in Mind

Outside of house hunting, there are other things to expect with how the virus affects homebuying. In a previous blog, we discussed how policy and procedure changes due to COVID-19 would cause a slowdown in the home loan process, so make sure to plan additional time in other aspects of homebuying as well. Even something as seemingly trivial as having the house cleaned before you move in might have to be scheduled far in advance since cleaning services are in high demand at the moment.

So, in short: yes, it’s still possible to buy a home during COVID-19. Don’t give up hope if you were excited at the beginning of the year to find a new home. Stay safe and stay healthy!

Can You Still House Hunt During COVID-19?