We understand that unprecedented times call for strict measures around the level of service and assurance that we provide our clients. That’s why we’re sharing how St. Jean Realty is keeping up during the COVID-19 pandemic and the promises we are making to our clients.

What’s Changed At St. Jean Realty

We are anticipating that some, or all, of these new practices may be in place for weeks, months, and maybe even years, depending on how the situation plays out.

Here’s what we’ve done to adapt:

  • Going Virtual/Remote – We’ve always been big believers in technology facilitating our business. Our team has gone remote and we are operating at a higher level than before COVID-19 began.
  • Marketing & Exposure – We spend well over $100,000 every month to ensure our listings gain maximum exposure. Our marketing hasn’t changed, except for the fact that we’ll be using more video to present homes going forward.
  • Open Houses – The Province of Ontario has no longer permitted open houses until the state of emergency is lifted. In total, open houses account for 1% of total sales in a given year, so we have never relied on them to inform our marketing.
  • Paperwork – Everything that we need filled out or signed will be done digitally, which has always been part of our process to add convenience to our clients’ lives.
  • Partners – Our home inspector, mortgage broker, photographer, and lawyer are all fully operational. We have also ensured that they are all following health and safety guidelines and have practices in place to fully protect our clients.

Showings For Buyers

Our team is happy to view a property in advance for our clients. We can provide detailed feedback, take videos, or perform a real-time walkthrough on Facetime. If comfortable, buyers have the ability to view and purchase properties sight unseen. Some of our buyers have already exercised this option.

As usual, our team of agents will only work with qualified clients that we represent.

If you would like to visit a property in person, we ask that buyers do not touch anything in the home, both for their safety and the safety of the homeowner.

Our agents and clients now drive to and from each property in separate cars. We ask that our clients drive by properties of interest before showings, and our agents will work to get answers to every important question beforehand.

Building on that, our agents will be walking through the home, opening doors with disinfecting wipes or disposable gloves to be thrown out immediately afterward. We will also not enter if the sellers or anyone else is in the home, and will advise against attending all open houses.

Showings For Sellers

As we discussed before, our team believes heavily in our marketing approach. That will now include walkthrough videos of every listing for buyers who want to tour the home before scheduling a showing.

We will then set showing preferences to not allow overlapping showings, meaning that only one group of interested buyers will be permitted at a time.

Agents are not allowed to touch anything except the front door. We will keep all interior doors open, and will ask agents and prospective buyers not to close them (to limit touching of surfaces in the home).

We encourage every agent to adopt our practice of using gloves or disinfecting wipes when opening the door to the home. Furthermore, all agents and buyers are required to fill out and sign a COVID-19 questionnaire (or they will not be permitted to show our property).

Added Protections For Clients

As always, we are doing everything we can to protect our buyers and sellers.

In addition to our standard practices, we have added COVID-19 clauses and protections to all of our agreements of purchase and sale to ensure a smooth process for transactions.

Scheduling A Consultation

We are now hosting all of our buyer consultations through video conferencing software. Simple, intuitive, and user-friendly, we have had dozens of consultations in the last two weeks alone.

This gives you the opportunity to meet with us and access our expertise on your terms and within your level of comfort.

Things are changing rapidly, and you need a team who can adapt. Have questions? St. Jean Realty is here to help. Email us here or call us at 1-844-484-SOLD.