HAR Report:“What’s about to happen to Houston real estate reminds me of Hurricane Harvey in that we are bracing for impact, but don’t yet know what the full extent on the market will be,” said HAR Chairman John Nugent with RE/MAX Space Center. “There are consumers out there for whom finding a home is critical, however, HAR has urged all Realtor members to conduct as much business as possible online, using technology such as virtual open houses, virtual tours and electronic signature documents, in the interest of protecting everyone’s health. What’s most important during this pandemic is for everyone to be responsible community stewards and heed the warnings of health experts and local officials,” added Nugent.
On March 20, all (in-person) open houses were removed from HAR.com out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of consumers and real estate agents alike. In the next few days, the website will introduce a virtual tour feature allowing Realtors to host and post virtual open houses and conduct virtual showings. Consumers can watch them live on HAR.com at scheduled times and Realtors can then share the recordings on their own websites and social media platforms.