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An update on the current situation for house buyers and sellers

Wed 13 May 2020

We’re delighted to announce that the housing market has re-opened and buyers and sellers can once again resume their moving plans.

We are awaiting final confirmation today, but we expect parliament to pass these plans put forward by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick, who says, "This critical industry can now safely move forward, and those waiting patiently to move can now do so."

We are now able to resume viewings, and help people to carry out their moving plans. With so many buyers and sellers waiting for lockdown to end, we expect an initial surge of requests. This will really help to kick start the housing market, but it may be fairly short-lived, and could peter out within a few months. Over the last few weeks, we have taken lots of calls from people wanting to view our homes as soon as viewings are possible, and these enquiries are increasing daily. Our first priority is to book in those viewings.  But we need to make sure our clients, our buyers and our team are safe:

Safe viewings

We have been given guidelines on how to conduct viewings safely, and have set out processes to adhere to them. These include:

  •  Personal protective equipment (PPE) –we now have gloves and masks and available to use while conducting a viewing, and also for the use of buyers, if they do not have their own.
  • Limits on viewings –no more than one viewing on a property, per day. Or for viewings to be a prescribed time apart, eg with a two-hour interval.
  • Time limits on viewings –no more than 30 minutes to view one property
  • Viewings to be ‘contactless’ – where possible and appropriate, we will leave doors and main cupboards open, so buyers don’t need to touch them.
  • Distance viewings – the owner or viewer to remain out of the house whilst the viewing takes place, in the car or the garden.

Note: we have a written Health and Safety Viewings Process our team must adhere to, which is available to view on request.

 Safe valuations

We are now able to offer valuation visits to homeowners looking to move, following the same safety guidelines. If you need a valuation but would prefer this to be done remotely, we can offer advice via video. Just call us on 015772 497 070 or email us here and we will arrange this for you.

 Get in touch

Whatever your plans, we’re here to help. A chat with us now may reassure you and help you make an informed decision for you and your family. Just call on 015772 497 070 or email us here and we’ll respond quickly and in confidence.

David and Lottie