My thoughts are with all our towns and cities throughout New Zealand and especially those that may have been directly affected by COVID-19 and this newer Delta variant. As a non-essential business, our physical premises have closed during level 4, and myself and the rest of our team members from Harcourts are now working from home to look after not only their current activities but also their families. I remain active and on-call (maybe in pj’s)- available by phone and email. A little bit of extra patience will be required by all of us as we adjust to a slightly new way of working, we will still be able to work with you on your sale, settlements and manage buyer enquiry as it comes in. Like you, I don't have a crystal ball, but along with the management team we are monitoring things daily - and our team is meeting digitally to discuss what is happening in our market. Harcourts is also in regular contact with REINZ and any new developments are being communicated daily. Take care of yourselves, and each other. Questions? Please scroll down for some answers to frequently asked questions during this time of restrictions. Can you receive an appraisal? Online appraisals can be completed and emailed to potential sellers. You will note that these virtual appraisals will clearly state that they were conducted online and without the ability to physically inspect the property due to COVID-19 Level 4 restrictions - and then I will update these after a physical inspection of the property as soon as the current Level 4 restrictions are lifted. Can you list your property now? Yes, like Lee Majors - we have the technology! and support staff in place to be able to list your property during this Level 4 period. All agency agreements, AML and marketing can be signed digitally and I can talk you through the process and advise the best way moving forward. Marketing your home for sale At this stage there are no buyer appointments or open homes but these can commence again at the lower Alert Levels. I have great online platforms in place to maximise the exposure of your property while we have such a strong online audience. Can we prepare and submit offers on properties? Yes - sale and purchase agreements will continue to be available during this time and your agent will be able to provide for digital signature in the event you do not have a scanner or printer at home. Most of the lawyers are still available by email for legal advice. Upcoming Auctions We will monitor the Alert Levels for face-to-face Auctions, and the Auctions set for this Friday the 20th at the Harcourts office have been pushed out for at least a week at this stage. We have our online Auction platform GAVL which has shown great success in our Auctions during the rest of this year. Organising Finance? Sellers and buyers should talk to their bank or financial services provider first off, most of them are mobilised and able to transact business remotely. Anti-Money Laundering - AML AML can be completed online via your documents being scanned into the AML hub through me. Conditional contracts Conditional contracts can still be confirmed during this time; however should a condition not be able to be met due to the restrictions under the Alert Level 4 period (examples would be the inability to conduct a property inspection and building inspections), then the buyer and seller would need to advise their legal representatives and either extend the condition until after the lockdown, or cancel the contract. The party's lawyers will make appropriate amendments to the contract to facilitate this. LIM's We have been advised by Whangarei District Council that LIM processing is not able to be completed as some file records are still in paper format and will not be able to be accessed during this period. If purchasing, we would still suggest filing a request for a LIM so when these are able to be processed you will already be in the queue . Pre-settlement inspections These are unable to take place in person during lockdown, however, if both parties agree, these could take place using video conferencing - the seller would walk through the property and film the chattels being in operating order. In the case of an empty house, then this is not possible. Moving in to your new home Because moving house is not defined as 'necessary travel' during Stage 4 lockdowns, we suggest deferring settlement dates with your solicitor. All of the contracts done with me have an existing clause in your contract to facilitate this. We refer to this as the ‘Covid’ clause, and is generally set for the completion and settlement of the contract 5 working days after we come out of Level 4. Be well, and feel free to get in touch anytime. Cheers, Paul
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