CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Realtors in Mecklenburg County will start a new normal for the way business is done as the county stay-at-home order expires and the state stay-at-home order takes over.
John Kindbom, board president of Canopy Realtor Association and Canopy MLS, said realtors in Mecklenburg County haven’t been able to hold in-person open houses, couldn’t take pictures inside properties, and could only show vacant houses without furniture.
"It's been really hard because all the surrounding counties were doing it one way, and we were in a more restrictive area so we had to do it a different way,” Kindbom said.
Starting Thursday, Kindbom said realtors can do showings using gloves and masks with a limited number of people.
Realtors and buyers are being encouraged not to touch surfaces once inside a home, and sellers are urged to have the lights on and interior doors open so there is less reason for personal contact.
Kindbom said the housing market in Mecklenburg County is healthier than he thought it would be given the circumstances. He said there are a number of buyers and sellers who are ready to take the next step now that restrictions are being lifted.
"The biggest risk we have right now, truly, is that feeling of euphoria that we can go out and show houses and not pay attention to the guidelines,” Kindbom said. “It is more important now more than ever that we pay attention to the guidelines."
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