Fife housing market up and running as lockdown restrictions ease

As restrictions on people’s lives continue to ease, the property market is one area which has been allowed to take steps out of lockdown this week.

Estate agents in Fife and across the country reopened their doors on Monday to get the market moving once again.

The pandemic caused the industry to effectively shut down at the end of March, with people asked to delay moving and only those homes moves which were “reasonably necessary” allowed to take place under the government’s guidance.

However, from this week it’s back to business, albeit not as normal, for those in the property business.

Viewings can now take place as long as safety measures are in place including physical distancing, and moving home or preparing a residential property for a move are now permitted.

It is also possible to visit a residential property for activities required for rental or sale, such as valuations and completion of home reports.

One local estate agent is pleased to be back to work this week, and says business is booming.

Andrew Watt, managing director of Delmor Estate Agents which has offices across the Kingdom, said: “A dam wall had been put up when lockdown happened with people wanting to put properties forward to market.

“On the sales side we had a teem of people waiting to get properties forward to the market and we had a backlog of people wanting to go and view properties.

“Now we are opening the floodgates and gaining instructions.

“By the end of the week in Kirkcaldy alone we will have 15 new properties come to market.

“With viewings we have got staff working morning, noon and night so we can cope with the backlog.

“We put six or seven properties live on Monday and we have got concrete offers for three of them and we’re working on offers for another two.

“There has been a build up of work, but our true enemy is still to reveal itself.

“Not now, this won’t be until furlough ends and the country sees the unemployment figures.

“My hope for Fife is that we will not see high levels of unemployment. We need people to have continued long term confidence to buy property.

“There’s a shortage of houses and a higher demand for them.

“Those thinking of selling their house should be coming forward to the market and taking advantage of the under supply and over demand at this time.

“I’m looking at it on a month by month basis for now, but the early signs for the market are terrific.”

To support the safe re-opening of the housing market, the Scottish Government has published guidance for the public and those workign in the sector.

It reinforces the key health messages such as following the latest advice on physical distancing, hand washing and respiratory hygiene.

Mr Watt said strict measures have been put in place by the Delmor team to ensure the safety of staff and clients.

We are doing a wee health check on viewers before we go, asking if there’s any symptoms,” he said.

“We’re asking them to wear a face mask and explaining we will be wearing face masks and PPE. We have hand sanitiser.

“We visit the property prior to the viewing and give it a quick clean around hard surfaces and we open all the doors, internal and external.

“If the home owner is in we are asking them to sit in the garden or to go for a walk while we are conducting the viewing.

“With regards to the viewing we are asking people to go in, have a look around but not to touch doors and door handles or to touch surfaces.

“When they have finished the viewing we are waiting outside for feedback, maintaining the two metre distance.

“In the past we would be able to do multiple viewings, but we’re not able to do that, so we’re giving people 15 minute appointment slots where there is multiple people wanting to see one property.

“Prior to that we have had some people doing video viewings, but very few people will buy without seeing the property, smelling the property and using all their senses.

“While it became the fashionable thing to do the reality is if you’re investing tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds in a property you need to see it in the flesh, see the neighbourhood and the other houses around it.

“For me these videos are over hyped and I wouldn’t want it being an excuse for estate agents not to show people around.”

But it’s not just the sales market that is back up and running, the rental market is also looking buoyant locally.

Mr Watt added: ““The lettings business has continued throughout lockdown and was very busy.

“It didn’t make much difference to what we did, other than putting safety measures in place and our staff were working from home.”

Message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspapers - the Fife Free Press, Fife Herald, St Andrews Citizen and East Fife Mail.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you

Allan Crow, Editor, Fife Free Press