PHOTO: House viewings can now happen again
Searching for a home has become slightly easier under alert level 3 with real estate agents able to return to work.
But progress is slow and a new form of open homes has had to hit the market. And there are mixed opinions on what the impact of COVID-19 will have on the country’s housing market.
A Christchurch real estate agent was happy to be slapping a ‘sold’ sticker on Saturday.
The former owners luckily held viewings before lockdown. Under alert level 3 viewings can happen but with strict rules.
Easier home loans
Just two viewings of a house are allowed per day. You also need hand-sanitising, gloves, no touching anything and only two people from the same bubble through at a time.
But no kids. So parents can’t tour a house together.
“Makes it a little bit hard to discuss the house on the fly,” says prospective home buyer Braedan Trompetter.
“If they really like it the other will come back on a different occasion, they might stay home with the kids – something like that,” says real estate agent Cameron Bailey.
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