COVID-19 Rules and Requirements at Calgary Open Houses

As restrictions continue to ease gradually, more and more activities are resuming operation. And open houses in Canada are one of these things.

Because of the availability of vaccines, we are close to seeing the end of the pandemic. But that doesn’t mean we can be complacent about it.

We should still limit contact as much as possible. Calgary open houses may be allowed, but they are expected to be done properly. More than anything else, health protocols should be followed at all times.

Header Image source: Pixabay

How COVID Impacts Open Houses in Canada

Open houses in Canada were not allowed during the start of the pandemic. It was an essential preventive measure against the possible spread of COVID. It was a part of limiting physical contact among people. It wasn’t considered an essential activity since there were alternatives to it, too.

It wasn’t easy for people in real estate. But then again, the same could be said for everyone.

Open houses are an important part of selling or buying a home. As a seller, it attracts more potential buyers of your property. You get to share how valuable the home has been to you. It also allows you to get to know the buyers and make sure your home goes to the right people.

As a buyer, an open house helps you decide better. It’s always different seeing the property for yourself. You might find more things to like about the home. Or maybe you’ll have more reason to talk yourself out of buying it. Regardless, it helps you make sure you’ll be locking in an offer on the right property.

As the pandemic becomes more manageable, open houses are being allowed again. But that doesn’t mean everything will be back to normal.

Open houses in the middle of a pandemic still require caution. Here are some general rules to follow when hosting an open house for your property.

Rules for Open Houses in 2022

Social Distancing

When you host an open house, you have to make sure that the guests still maintain a 2-meter distance from one another. You cannot keep welcoming guests into your home as this might crowd the place and put everyone at risk of COVID.

When there are more visitors than your house can hold, you might want to ask others to line up outside or stay in their cars until you call them. If you prefer the queue, make sure there’s still social distancing.

Put up markers so that people know where to stand. Also, if your house has a back door, it might be nice to have visitors exit there to manage the traffic.

Minimal Contact

As much as possible, try to limit contact to a minimum. For starters, you can hold a virtual open house instead. Livestream your house tour so that potential buyers could see it as though they’re actually in your property.

For actual open houses, you could set a specific time for the viewing. You could also ask potential buyers to pre-register so that you can manage the number of people on your property at a time.

Open cabinets and drawers so that the guests won’t have to do it themselves. You could also have an assistant to open these for your visitors. Doing so would limit contact to the surfaces of your house.

Sanitation

The most important thing in open houses is sanitation. Make sure you immediately clean and disinfect your property after every viewing schedule. This helps a lot in preventing the virus from spreading.

Have a hand sanitizer ready at your front door. Make sure that the guests use it before entering your home. It would also be nice to ask them to sanitize their hands before leaving your property.

You can provide face masks or protective suits, too. These will make the whole event more secure for everyone. It will cost you more, though.

Make sure to check with your local government for specific protocols in public viewings and other activities.

Calgary Open Houses

Image source: Brenda Coulter

Calgary is a good market for sellers and buyers this 2022. It has cheaper listings than other cities. Homes in Calgary also get sold quickly.

If you’re thinking of selling your home, get in touch with a realtor who knows the ins and outs of the local market in Calgary. Make sure you sell your house for the right price.

Again, if you ever plan on hosting open houses, here are the general rules you need to follow:

• Make sure that everyone in your property maintains a 2-meter distance from each other at all times.
• Limit physical contact to a minimum. If you can do virtual tours instead, it would be better.
• Disinfect your property immediately after every viewing schedule to prevent the spread of the virus.