Member Update July 10, 2020
Open houses now permitted in BC under new guidelines: What you need to know
The real estate boards and associations in the province, together with the Real Estate Council of BC (Council), have removed the recommendation that REALTORS® not hold open houses that had been in place since mid-March. This change to permit open houses comes with new safety guidelines for you to follow.
Click here to read the new open house safety guidelines in the joint announcement that the BC Real Estate Association and Real Estate Council of BC issued on July 7.
“This change doesn’t mean a return to pre-pandemic practices,” Colette Gerber, REBGV Chair said. “Since the pandemic began, Realtors have been adopting new technologies and practices to follow through on our responsibility to do what we can to help prevent the spread of illness. This responsibility hasn’t changed. If you and your clients choose to hold an open house, you’ll need to strictly follow the safety measures that your profession and regulator have carefully crafted in consultation with WorkSafeBC.”
New safety procedures
The new safety practices for open houses focus on documenting consent, enforcing public health protocols, and employing enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices. These include:
- documenting your client’s consent to hold the open house and to the agreed safety procedures
- limiting the open house to serious buyers using technology to pre-screen them
- requiring that attendees wear masks and other personal protection equipment when appropriate
- keeping two metres or six feet of physical distance between everyone in attendance at all times
- using marked signage and instructions, at all entrances and elsewhere, that remind attendees to follow required health protocols
- employing sanitary protocols after each open house
- keeping a log of visitors for contact tracing
Watch our new video with 2018 Professional Excellence Award winner Josh Bath. In it, Josh walks through some of the new safety protocols you need to consider.
Open houses re-enabled on MLS®
To help you with this change, we’ve re-enabled the open house function in Paragon. Call our Help Desk at 604-730-3020 if you need help entering your open houses.
Public communication
Here’s an article about this change that you can share with your clients. This public-facing article will help your clients understand what to expect at a future open house. You can also share this article that outlines seven things consumers can expect when attending an open house today.
Click here to read and share this CTV News article on this change that features comments from REBGV Chair Colette Gerber.
Open house signage
We’ve developed signage you can use to guide open house attendees. These posters are intended to cover Council and BCREA’s signage recommendations.
These include:
- Reminders to wash your hands and keep physical distance
- Instructions to "look not touch"
- Guidelines on who can enter
Click here to download them.
PPE suppliers
We've also developed a list of potential suppliers for personal protective equipment and sanitizing products.
Click here to download the list of suppliers.
Watch our latest Innovation Series videos with Brendon Ogmundson and Angela Calla
Our new Innovation Series of videos is aimed at helping REALTORS® discover new practices, tools, and knowledge.
In our latest video, we feature BC Real Estate Association Chief Economist Brendon Ogmundson. We asked Brendon about the long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the real estate market and the long-term trends that'll shape our market and economy moving forward. We also spoke to Mortgage Broker Angela Calla about how COVID-19 is changing the mortgage market. Watch the videos below.
Save the dates: More virtual events coming in July
We've got two more virtual events coming up in July.
Join us on Wednesday, July 22 for our Business Strategy Workshop event featuring Jeff Weaver or RE/MAX Lifestyles Realty. Jeff will cover the fundamentals of prospecting and dealing with rejection, and offers his tips on organizing your business.
On Thursday, July 23, we'll bring back Condominium Home Owners Assocation Executive Director Tony Gioventu for a one-on-one Q&A session to follow up on our Strata Insurance Update virtal event in June.
Watch for the registration email for these events in your inbox next week.
Missed our last virtual events?
Earlier today, we held a virtual discussion with representatives from WorkSafeBC and the Real Estate Council of BC to learn more about the open house guidelines that Realtors in BC should follow during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ll share a recording of this event with you in the coming days. Keep an eye on our upcoming communications.
On July 9, approximately 80 members joined our virtual event that focused on working with landlords and tenants in today's environment. Hunter Boucher and Kimberly Coates of LandlordBC discussed the nuances of buying and selling tenanted properties and answered questions from members.
Click here to watch a recording of the event.
On June 23, over 500 members joined our virtual event that took a deeper look at strata insurance issues many people have been facing recently. Panelists Frank Chong of the BC Financial Services Authority, Rob de Pruis of the Western Insurance Bureau, Tony Gioventu of the Condominium Home Owners Association, and Danielle Russell of CapriCMW shared their insights and offered advice you can share with clients.
Click here to watch a recording of the event.
On June 9, 580 members took in our Recession and the BC Housing Market virtual event featuring BCREA Economist Brendon Ogmundson and Marty Pospischil, president of the Pospischil Realty Group. Brendon and Marty offered their insights into the current state of the market and what a post-COVID-19 recovery might look like.
Click here to watch a recording of the event.
On May 27, nearly 300 members joined our virtual event on financial management during COVID-19 which featured Barry Trischuk, founder of Endurance Financial Services. Barry discussed financial management tips REALTORS® should know during this pandemic.
Click here to watch a recording of the event.