A couple of days ago Governor Walz put some tighter restrictions in place due to the spread of COVID-19 in the state. The changes take effect on Friday. There will be fines this time around. There are new restrictions on private social gatherings too:
“10-person limit for indoor AND outdoor gatherings.
All social gatherings are limited to members of only three households or less, including the host.”
Most of the restrictions put on retail and in-person shopping have been lifted. Personally, I have been going to the grocery store but if I get there and it seems too crowded or there are too many people with their noses hanging out of their masks I leave and return later.
Early on during the first lockdown, there were restrictions on open houses and we could list houses for virtual showings only. Currently, there aren’t any restrictions on open houses but that doesn’t mean they are safe. Most homes sell quickly without ever being held open.
There are people buying and selling houses right now. We have learned how to make it as safe as possible but like with everything else there are no guarantees.
Local real estate agents generally don’t touch anything in an occupied home and we all wear masks and make sure that our clients wear masks too. We limit the number of people who can see home to decision-makers only and do not allow overlapping showings.
Early on we were required to have a preparedness plan and were told that anyone who can work from home should be working from home. That has been easy for me as I have been mostly using my home office since 2006 or so.
So far real estate sales have been a bright spot in the economy. Home sales create jobs and put money into the local economy. The pandemic has not had a negative impact on home sales.
