On the market: Buying and selling homes during a pandemic

While many of society’s activities have been put on hold, buying and selling homes can’t be stopped for many people.

But a pandemic certainly adds a different dynamic to showing and touring homes.

Jason Catchuk and his wife listed their Regina home in the fall but didn’t get much interest. However, for some reason, they started getting inquiries after the pandemic started. Catchuk said they had triple the number of showings.

To sell the home, they had to show it to buyers, and Catchuk said that was a bit nerve-wracking.

“You have strange people and people touching things and stuff like that,” he said. “But you just have to have faith in your real estate agent that the people coming through the house are doing what they’re supposed to be doing — washing their hands and using the hand sanitizer and all that stuff.”

When Catchuk and his wife got home after the showings, they went through the house and cleaned everything, wiping down door handles, light switches and countertops.

Eventually, their house sold, but that meant Catchuk and his wife had to go house-hunting themselves.

He said it was the same going into other people’s homes.

“You don’t touch anything. You don’t touch doorknobs, you don’t touch light switches. Most real estate agents now are starting to leave doors open (and) light switches on, stuff like that so you don’t have to touch anything,” said Catchuk.

And they lathered up with hand sanitizer before and after going in. They managed to find a new place and just moved in.

Catchuk said while they were looking at houses, the virus was always in the back of their minds.

“You don’t know where people have been (and) you don’t know who they’ve been in contact with,” said Catchuk.

The public health restrictions did make some things more frustrating for Catchuk. He said negotiating with the mortgage broker and dealing with the insurance agent would have been easier in person, but in times like these, Catchuk said, “you make it work.”

Craig Adam with ReMax Crown Real Estate was Catchuk’s realtor. He said it’s all about respecting other people’s property.

“Everybody wants to be safe, and that’s the No. 1 priority when showing a house to potential buyers. Or when sellers are selling their home, they want to make sure safety is of the utmost importance, so that’s our focus right now,” said Adam.

Adam said his agency has waiver forms for both the buyers and sellers to sign which state they haven’t travelled in the last two weeks, they haven’t been contact with anyone sick, and they don’t have any symptoms.

Adam said he’s surprised home sales have been as busy as they are. A news release from the Saskatchewan Realtors’ Association said sales in Saskatchewan were down about 48 per cent in the province in April, but that drop was less than what was anticipated.

The effect the pandemic has on the housing market will really show in the next six to 10 months, according to Adam. He said there isn’t enough data yet to say whether prices will go up or down; thus far, Adam said, prices have been pretty close to what they were at this time last year.