Fredericksburg Parent

40 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • Stories of Strength Special Issue Keeping Buyers and Sellers Safe With Innovative Certifcation Program INTERVIEWED BY EMILY FREEHLING The COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a surge of activity in the Fredericksburg-area housing market. While this was welcome news for the local econ- omy, the heightened level of activity posed new questions for how to conduct real estate consulta- tions, showings, closings and open houses safely. Coldwell Banker Elite Coldwell Banker Elite recognized that putting clear, safe practices in place was important, not only for the safety of buyers, sellers and agents, but also for the overall impact that real estate activities could potentially have on community spread of the novel coronavirus. "We realized that this was a matter of public safety," said Vice President of Marketing Angel Piontek. "A lot of companies were relying on individual employees to take responsible actions. We wanted to be proactive and make sure we were going about safety in an orga- nized, researched way that could ultimately contribute to slowing the spread of the virus in our community, while allowing buyers and sellers to continue to conduct business." The result is the Home Safe Certification Program, which Coldwell Banker Elite debuted in September. To create the program, Coldwell Banker Elite team members took a comprehensive look at every part of the process of buying and selling a house, and how it could be made safer amid a pandemic. They quickly put together a course that agents could take for certifica- tion that would give buyers and sellers peace of mind. "The agents just jumped at the opportunity to get this certification," said Managing Broker Robin Marine. "It has really given our clients comfort in knowing that their safety is our top priority." Coldwell Banker Elite Executive Vice President Matthew Rathbun, who helped develop the certification, said the Home Safe Certification includes a training course and asks agents to sign an agreement committing to abide by Home Safe guidelines. As of December, Coldwell Banker Elite had certified more than 170 agents—more than 70% of the firm's active agents. The changes in how agents conducted busi- ness under the Home Safe Certification were far-reaching. Sellers, for example, are now told to turn all of the lights in their house on and open doors before a showing, so that potential buyers don't have to touch light switches and door handles unneces- sarily. They are also coached to leave hand sanitizer, wipes, booties and other protec- tion and cleaning items in the home to make safe practices convenient. Instead of placing marketing books inside the house, Home Safe certified Realtors prominently place a QR code that potential buyers can scan to access images and infor- mation digitally. The certification also gives Realtors access to addendums to listing agreements designed specifically for the current crisis. Sellers can stipulate that potential buyers wear masks or booties or take other pre- cautions if they are going to visit the home in-person. They could also grant permission for buyers' agents to give virtual tours— since photography by a buyer's agent isn't legal without a seller's explicit permission.

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