I’m happy to report that San Francisco Realtors can once again host public open houses.
Our local Realtor Association announced late last week that we can resume holding opens for the first time since March 2020. We’re required to follow Covid safety protocol that requires all entrants to review and sign an Open House and Showing Guidelines disclosure, which also requires providing basic contact information. Additionally, everyone must still wear masks, use hand sanitizer, practice social distancing and avoid touching surfaces in a property.
Realtors are doing their best to manage the number of entrants permitted in a property simultaneously to allow for proper social distancing. So you may have to briefly wait outside if a particular home is at visitor capacity.
And here are a few of my own tips for open house guests:
– Carry hand sanitizer with you, as not every open house will have that available
– Move through a property within a reasonable amount of time and have lengthy conversations outside
– Wait for one group to leave a space before you enter, especially if it’s a small bedroom
– Property tours may take longer than usual, so be patient. We’re all adjusting to the new guidelines, and you may have to navigate the more crowded opens by waiting outside until there are fewer people inside. Set a goal of touring a max of two- to four homes per hour, especially if you have to drive to various neighborhoods.
– Stay home if you’re feeling sick.
Broker tours are also on track to resume within the next week or so. This means that if your agent isn’t able to tour with you on a weekend and you see a home you like, your agent can attend the Tuesday broker tour to evaluate the property and get you feedback.