Real estate agents: six ways in which the job has changed during COVID

During the pandemic, the real estate industry in Italy was greatly affected due to the fact that visits to properties couldn't be carried out as normal and the market saw itself paralysed for months. However, the real estate sector soon found a way to move forward, thanks to changes and flexibilty from real estate agents who have faced many changes in 2020. Real estate agents in Italy have been working hard to make the house buying process during the pandemic as easy as possible, as well as ensuring that the necessary health and hygiene regulations are obeyed. With the help of Coldwell Banker, let's have a look at the main changes for real estate agents in Italy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

1. Sanitisation. In full compliance with current regulations, visits to properties are made only with masks and only after both clients and agents have their temperature taken. Finally, the property should be sanitised before all visits, which take place by appointment only.
2. Virtual tours and the use of technology. With the need to reduce physical contact with buyers as much as possible, the agent's job is to present a property in the safest way. However, due to the virus, there has also been a significant rise in the use of tecnology in the real estate sector in Italy, and properties are increasingly being shown online using various different tools: increasingly accurate and high definition photos of every corner of the house, virtual tours and online meetings are just some of the techniques adopted in this particular historical moment. On top of this, deals are also being closed online, thanks once again to the increased use of technology including digital signatures and being able to send the necessary documentation digitally, so as to further reduce interpersonal contact.
3. Optimisation of time. Lorenzo Tellini, a broker at Coldwell Banker Prestige in Rome states that: "People today have less and less time to waste and, already by viewing a property online, they want to have a precise picture of all the information they need. It is no longer conceivable to discover some sort of new work or renovations that need to be carried out when signing the contract: for this reason, as agents we are equipped to offer the support of planners and experts who can give the client a more complete picture of the property at the time of purchase, so as to optimise their time to the maximum".
4. New skills. According to Federica Bartolelli from the Coldwell Banker Giodare agency in Rome: "A real estate agent's work has changed and continues to adapt to this ever-changing historical moment. Legal, technical and fiscal skills are just as important as commercial skills: we are required to have all-round preparation".
5. Fewer appointments. Federica Bartolelli also stated that "people know what they are looking for and the decision-making process is faster, which is why we often only have one chance, one appointment to "impress" the client". This means that, despite an initial long telematic phase, the impression one gets is that a live visit, especially when buying and selling an asset as important as one's own home, cannot be completely replaced by virtual visits, which in any case are of great help in maximising the time available. Agents therefore have only one chance to conclude the sale, unlike pre-COVID times, where buyers used to book two or more appointments per property.
6. Use of social networks. "Social networks also play an important role in today's negotiations," says Francesco Suelzu from Coldwell Banker Bodini International Real Estate in Milan. The agencies' social channels certainly do not replace online listings, the main channel for the involvement of potential buyers, but they are a great support to an agency's brand identity, creating an initial relationship of trust with the buyer".