Laura Agadoni

When you have a hot rental property on the market, one that many people will probably want to rent, you can hold an open house. Why? Holding an open house creates excitement and urgency when potential renters see how many other potential renters are interested in your property. This also eliminates the dreaded no-show situation (otherwise known as being stood up) which can happen when scheduling one-on-one showings.

But

should you hold an open house during a worldwide pandemic? The answer, for me

anyway, is, “Yes, but …”

Yes, you can still hold an open house during COVID-19, but you should, for everyone’s safety, be prepared to

change up the standard open house routine. What you don’t want to do, whether

the property is vacant or the tenants are still living in the home, is hold a

traditional open house where everyone gathers inside the property at once.

The

two open houses I held during COVID-19 were big successes. No one was put out

about the safety precautions and people understood and were more than willing

to do what needed to be done for everyone’s safety. Here’s what I did for the

two properties I needed to rent during COVID-19. It’s worth noting that it

worked out well for everyone … both times!

1. Prepare a Video Tour

Hire

a professional real estate photographer/videographer to take photographs and

film a walk-through of your property. Although you can take your own photos and

videos, doing this yourself probably won’t help you reach the goal of

attracting as many potential renters as possible.

It’s

usually worth the money to hire a professional, especially if there’s

competition for rental properties in your area. Potential renters are scrolling

through many listings, and if your photos aren’t eye-catching, your listing

might not even get a second glance. Typically, I pay between $150 and $175 for

this service for a home 2,000 square feet or less. Depending on the size of

your property and your location, your mileage may vary.

Adding

a video walk-through, which is typically after the last photo on your listing,

allows people to virtually walk through your property. This is helpful for

those who don’t feel comfortable physically walking though rentals during COVID-19.

If there isn’t a place to add a video (not all listing sites are set-up for

this), send a link of your video directly to the people who contact you.

Don’t confuse a video tour or walk-through with a virtual tour.

A video tour is a recorded video of the property, whereas a virtual tour refers

to a 3D-photo rendering that a viewer can use to “walk” through a property and

see a panoramic view of the home. Keep in mind, more often than not, viewers

would rather simply sit back and watch a video rather than click through a

series of 3D photos.

The

videographer should film while slowly walking through your rental property,

just as a potential renter would walk through it. Highlight what a photo

cannot, such as the true size of the rooms, which can be shown by how many

steps it takes to get from room to room.

Tip: Taking

photos and videos is usually reserved for vacant homes or homes that are staged

well. If your current tenants are still living on the property, or if the

property looks cluttered and messy, it’s probably better to wait. This could

deter potential applicants so wait until the property is in tip-top shape to

capture it.

2. Offer to do a One-on-One Live Stream

You

might get a potential renter who likes what they see from your photos and video

walk-through but who still wants to see more without physically coming to the

property. In such cases, offer to FaceTime or Zoom with them or do a YouTube or

Facebook Live event. This way, the potential renter can ask questions in

real-time. Don’t be surprised if during a live streaming they want to see under

the kitchen sink or some other area that was not covered in your video tour.

3. Set a Time to Hold Your Open House

Many people will still want to physically come to the property before they’re comfortable enough to sign a lease. For those people, you can still hold a safe open house.

Try

to schedule at least two open house sessions. One during the week in the early

evening and one on a Saturday afternoon, for example. Plan on blocking off two hours

for the open house period, and let those who are interested know when and where

it will be held.

4. Team Up and Come Early

When it’s time to hold the open house, you should have at least one other person to help you. One of you will serve as “crowd control” by greeting people and explaining what to expect, and the other will show the property. Arrive at your property 15 to 30 minutes before the open house to prepare the home.

5. Bring Essential COVID-19 Supplies

Here’s what to bring when you hold your open house to make the showing as safe as possible during COVID-19:

• Facemasks (to hand out to anyone who doesn’t have one)

• Hand sanitizer

• Sanitizing wipes

• Small table or stand

• Disposable gloves

• Disposable shoe covers (optional)

Create a station at the entrance of the property with all the supplies. I get my supplies from Amazon and Home Depot. Before buying hand sanitizer, please make sure it does not contain 1-propanol by checking the FDA list of recalled brands. 

6. Prepare the Property

Conduct

the usual open house preparations, such as opening or pulling back window

coverings, opening windows (if the weather permits), making sure the property

is clean, and turning on all the lights. People like to see a bright and airy

home.

7. Greet the Guests

At

this point, have your showing partner wait outside to greet guests while you

wait inside to show the property. The person outside will direct traffic, so to

speak, making sure each person or family is maintaining enough distance. With

only one potential renter (or renter family) allowed inside at a time, the

outside greeter can notify the other applicants when it’s their turn to view

the property. If there are more than four or five people waiting, the greeter

can run this operation like a deli or bakery line, assigning everyone numbers.

When

it’s the potential applicant’s turn to come in, the greeter should make sure

they put on a mask and should offer to squirt some hand sanitizer on their

hands if they’re not wearing gloves. This is recommended because most people

will want to open cabinets and closets, turn on and off the water, etc. If you

or your current tenants require shoe coverings, make sure those are on as well.

8. Show the Property

The person showing the property should welcome the applicants and then do one of two things: either 1) show them around (allowing them to lead, while maintaining a safe distance) or 2) let the applicants look around on their own while still being available to answer questions.

9. Lock Up … and Get Your Place Rented

After

everyone has walked through the property and left, wipe down all surfaces with

sanitizing wipes: cabinets, doorknobs, light switches, faucets, and toilet

handles. Now you can relax, close and cover the windows, turn off the lights,

lock up the home, and wait for the applications to roll in!