by Baldev S. Gill, Chief Executive Officer
Due to the fluid and ever evolving situation on COVID-19, in collaboration with various other real estate boards in the province, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) will effectively be disabling the Open House functionality on Paragon, as of Monday, March 23, 2020. Open House information will also not go to REALTOR.ca or realtylink.org.
Once the Open House functionality has been disabled, only Board staff will be able to delete Open Houses from the system (and we will only do so with your emailed instructions).
Additionally, we strongly ask you not to use nor try to circumvent, the functionality for advertising upcoming Open Houses under the Remarks section. The Board will advise when these functions can be activated again, once public health and regulatory authorities advise it is safe to do so.
“This was not a decision we took lightly,” said Darin Germyn, President, FVREB. “Following considerable dialogue and discussion, we felt compelled to act so as to ensure we as REALTORS®, played our part in supporting the prevention and spread of COVID-19 in our communities and show leadership in meeting the housing needs of residents in a responsible way.”
Ask your clients to understand the situation we are all in and explain to them that we are an industry that constantly interacts with great numbers of the public.
Also, make them aware that the high percentage of Realtors are frequently mobile, making us prime candidates for exposure to COVID-19 and potentially contagious to others.
As a reminder, this is an ideal time for us to embrace the technology at our disposal. Virtual tours rather than in person showings are a good example, as is video conferencing. Many of your clients need to buy or sell in the coming months, and they are depending on you to make that happen, so be creative.
While we all have a responsibility to consider the needs of our clients, you also need to think about your own health and that of your family. Concurrently, as professional Realtors, we need to be socially responsible.
There can be nothing wrong with considering what you are prepared to do in terms of exposing yourself to risk. Even if it costs you business in the short run, ensure that your behaviour serves you and your clients in the long run. Our health is one of the most important things we have, and this is a time when we should take every reasonable caution.