Open houses are a revered tradition in the business of selling homes.

Sellers prettify their homes as if a writer from a lifestyle magazine is coming. There’s never a better time to declutter.

For realtors, it’s like having a public auction. The more people come and see others checking out the property, the better. The chances of a sale are likely higher. It could even trigger a bidding war.

Among potential buyers, it’s a chance to get a feel of the home. They go to a stranger’s house because they want to see if they can imagine themselves living in it.

As with many business practices impacted by COVID-19, open houses may not return with the same appeal in a postpandemic world.

What will likely become more conventional are appointment-only or private home showings. In a typical open house, anybody can simply walk in.

B.C. realtors like Connie McGinley and Tom Choy adopted the practice of scheduled property viewings as soon as lockdowns and restrictions started in mid-March 2020.

In separate interviews, McGinley and Choy related that based on their experience during this pandemic, homes will still sell without opening a house to a mass of people.

“When you do an open house, you do not know who’s coming,” McGinley, an agent with the Vancouver-based Dexter Realty, told the Straight by phone.

It could be someone who was only driving by, saw the signs, and got curious. Or it may be neighbours who only want to look.

With appointment-only viewings, realtors get to deal with “more serious people”. This also allows for easier contact-tracing in case something happens, McGinley added.

McGinley, a Vancouverite all her life, thinks that she will probably never do an open house again, even if the pandemic passes. Open houses are a lot of work.

A realtor buys an ad in a local paper days ahead, puts up signs, prints materials for guests, and spends hours at the home, typically on a weekend, when more buyers are expected to be out house-hunting.

“You sit there and you wait, and sometimes nobody shows up,” McGinley said.
It’s not that it’s simply a waste of time.

“But there’s a better way to do it, and this pandemic showed us the way: that we could sell properties without ever doing an open house,” McGinley said.

In mid-March, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, regulators and professional boards advised realtors against conducting open houses. This recommendation was lifted in July, and several safety procedures were put in place. These included limiting the number of people at an open house, depending on the size of the property.

On November 5, in the face of surging infection numbers, regulators and industry associations again advised realtors to discontinue open houses.

As an alternative, limited home showings are allowed. A December 9, 2020, industry guide lists several best practices for these viewings. These include allowing a maximum of six people in viewings, including realtors and occupants.

Also, visitors have to be prescreened. One example of that is that a guest must have been prequalified for a home purchase by a financial institution. Visitors must also be working with a realtor, and guests must have already either listed or sold their current home.

Tom Choy has been in the business of selling homes for a long time. The former New York stockbroker, who was originally from the Philippines, started as a Vancouver realtor in 1992. He is an associate broker with Royal Pacific Realty.

Choy has had opportunities to hold open houses for his listings during the pandemic. However, he decided that would not happen because of the health risks.

Choy hired a company to do video presentations for properties. But in order to close a deal, he had to do appointment-only viewings. “Buyers still need to see it physically to make a final decision,” Choy told the Straight by phone.

An offer can still be withdrawn if a purchaser does not like what they see in person. This speaks to a certain psychology in buying a home.

“When you enter a house, if you fall in love with it right away, this is it,” Choy explained. “But it’s hard to fall in love with a video.”

Despite restrictions and uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, residential property in the province has fared well.

On Monday (December 14), the B.C. Real Estate Association reported that home sales from January to November 2020 were up 18.7 percent, to 85,625 units, compared to the same period in 2019.

Also, the year-to-date dollar volume of the sales was $66.43 billion. This represents a 32.3 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the BCREA.

In addition, the year-to-date average price of a home was up 11.4 percent, to $775,845.

Like Dexter Realty’s McGinley, Royal Pacific Realty’s Choy sees himself, at least for the medium term, doing just appointment-only home viewings, even if the pandemic gets under control.

“I’m ready for the next few years for this way of doing business as a realtor,” Choy said.

Choy added that he may do open houses again but only after 70 percent of the population gets vaccinated for the novel coronavirus.