LUBBOCK, Texas – Realtors are relying more on social media and virtual tours to show homes. But they are considered essential workers, so they are still able to show some homes in person.
“When we are using the key boxes, touching doorknobs or anything in the home, light switches, we are wiping those down as we go and just asking the clients not to touch anything in the home,” said Michael Hutton of West Stage Realtors.
Title companies are being creative as well; some are doing curbside amenities and drop offs.
“People have backed out of closing just because they do not want to come into office, so we are doing curbside closings so people can just call us when they get there, stay in their car and we conduct the closing like that, through that way. And then we have a mail slot where people do not even have to come up to our office; they can drop off documents,” said Heather Brandt of Western Title.
Right now, national numbers for selling a home are up 6 percent but the statistics are behind about 30 days, because that’s about how long it takes for a home to close.
“The transactions that we are closing right now, they were generated in early March, late March and now they are just starting to close out. So it really doesn’t show when you look at our data, it doesn’t show that it’s really effecting us right now, which is good,” said Ken Harlan of Lubbock Association Realtors 2020 President.
They have noticed that the minimum credit score for F.A.J. and government loans has gone up in the last two weeks from 620 to 680.
“That takes a lot of buyers out of the game so those kinds of things are going to impact us,” said Hutton.
The numbers for March and how the market is going should be realized on Tuesday.
