Blog

Information for Vendors:

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Whilst recent updates have made it possible for property sales to take place, you may be unsure of whether the timing is right for you. The following information is designed to help you to understand what is involved in the current scenario and to reassure you, whatever you decide to do. If you are in a designated vulnerable category for health reasons or are shielding/self-isolating, please seek additional medical advice on whether you should consider moving during this period.

Initial Market Appraisal and Subsequent Viewings: Market appraisals and viewings can now take place but for your safety, as well as that of everyone else, there will be significant changes to the way in which we conduct these, in accordance with government guidelines as outlined below.

For the initial valuation meeting, we will look around the property as thoroughly as possible in order to give you an accurate market appraisal but the actual conversation about price, your situation, etc will take place via telephone/video call when we return to the office. This will enable a full discussion to take place, where we will be able to tell you about the unrivalled marketing campaign we can carry out on your behalf, and answer any questions you may have about the sale of your property. For your safety, the guidelines for viewings (below) will apply when we visit your property.

Should you instruct The Frost Partnership to market your property, we will encourage all viewers to watch the video tour before visiting your property. We will also insist that they follow the new viewing protocols explained below.

We will ask all viewers if they (or anyone they live with); are currently suffering from Covid 19, are showing any symptoms of Covid 19, have been in contact with anyone in the last 14 days who has been ill with Covid 19 or has shown any symptoms of Covid 19, are self-isolating or “shielding”. We ask the same questions above of you and your household and require you/any viewers to inform us as soon as possible if this information changes at any stage.

Before every viewing we ask you to clean your property, paying particular attention to door handles, light switches and other “touch points”. We will ask all viewers not to touch door handles, light switches, etc. and to help us to avoid touching anything, you will need to prepare your property before each viewing. All internal and external doors should be open, any relevant lights on and (where possible) leave some windows open.

When we arrive, vendors should ideally vacate the property by going for a walk, sitting in the garden/car etc. If this is not possible then social distancing must be observed at all times. Pets should either remain outside the property during viewings or, if indoors, they must be contained/caged.

Our staff will be wearing PPE and will sanitise hands/gloves before the viewing in order to protect themselves and to protect you and the viewer. All viewers will be asked to wear a mask and to clean/sanitise their hands outside the property before the viewing commences; a viewing will not take place otherwise.

Viewings will be kept to no longer than 15 -20 minutes; we will explain to the viewers that conversations, are best had outside the property where social distancing can be observed, or preferably via a telephone/video call once we are back in the office.

A maximum of 2 people will be allowed to view the property and they must be from the same household. No children under 18 will be allowed to visit the property Open houses are not currently permitted, and if there is more than one viewing for your property, we will ensure there is sufficient gap (for example 15 -30 minutes) after each viewing to allow time to clean the property between viewings, including cleaning of surfaces and door handles.

Our employees will accompany viewings, however in the event that you choose to conduct a viewing yourself, please be advised that all of the above procedures must be adhered to.

Other Meetings: For the foreseeable future we will be opting for alternatives to physical meetings wherever possible using digital technology, telephone, email and video tools – depending on what you are comfortable to use.

There may be times when it is necessary to meet property professionals, for example, if you need to have a legal document witnessed and, in these instances you will be required to follow social distancing guidelines.

Other visits to your property: These will be required to take photographs or create floorplans for example and, where possible, depending on the size of the property, the property professional will be asked to minimise time spent inside your property.

Most mortgage valuations and all home survey inspections and energy assessments will require surveyors to inspect your property in person. Surveyors will minimise time spent at the property, however depending on the service and your requirements, they may need to spend a longer time inspecting different parts of the property.

Moving Day! Some removal companies would normally offer a full packing service although this may be limited for now. However, boxes and packing equipment can still be supplied. If you are packing your own goods you should consult your insurer to ascertain whether additional cover is required.

You may be asked to leave the property while the removers are working, or to stay outside and in all cases to observe the two metre social distancing measures.

A ‘deep clean’ is recommended when moving in and out of a property, so discuss with your property lawyer/agent whether you need to do a deep clean on your own home when it is empty, and also whether this will be done for your new home before you move in.

As you can see, your safety and that of the viewers and our staff, is our main priority. These procedures are all in place for that reason, and we are grateful for your help with this. You should expect other property professionals to exercise the same level of care for your safety before visiting your property.

Whilst some things are now different, our aims have not changed, so please be assured that we are, and will continue to be, doing all we can to find you a prospective purchaser and keep your sale on track through to completion.

We hope that this answers any questions you might have but if you would like further clarification on any aspect of home moving, please consult our Residential Selling Guide or contact your local Frost office.