Level 4 lockdown will impact real estate market

Jun 29, 2021 1:07:58 AM

Following the President's announcement yesterday evening that the country will move to Lockdown Level 4, as the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic intensifies, we as Harcourts South Africa have already put structures in place to protect both our agents and clients to the highest degree.

The real estate industry as a whole will have to adjust plans and strategies immediately to ensure clients can be serviced and that agents can continue working. The Lockdown of 2020 played a big part in the way real estate professionals innovated to continue working, and we have already started putting the similar measures in place that align with these strategies. A lot of the foundation has already been layed and based on the way we did business during the previous lockdown regulations we can say that our plans were succesful.
 
There is no doubt the current situation is going to continue putting strain on the economy and those who are at high risk will most probably, and rightfully so, avoid in-person meetings altogether. This will certainly impact certain areas of the industry.
 
If we consider the current economic status with many industries bleeding, further strain should be completely unavoided. It is a very difficult situation as the primary objective should be flattening the curve. Thankfully our agents and offices can rely on world-class technology and digital support that assist working procedures and streamline difficult situations.

 

Contrary to earlier predictions the real estate industry continued to flourish throughout lockdown levels in the past months. Largely because real estate companies were able to implement the necessary measures but also because of the low interest rate combined with the fact that a home is a basic need. Demand is high at the moment and this is fantastic for our economy.
 
We assure our clients and relevant stakeholders that we as a company require all agents to abide by the necessary protocols to ensure a safe environment.

We once again urge everyone to adhere to the regulations and avoid any unnecessary in-person meetings and to wear their face marks and stay safe.

 

Statement by

Richard Gray

Harcourts South Africa CEO

Topics: Richard Gray, Real Estate Agents, Information on buying and selling, COVID-19, Virtual Tour, Virtual Inspection