The coronavirus pandemic has brought with it a lot of uncertainty, and the real estate industry isn’t immune.
But through the adjustments every business has had to make over the
past two months, there’s still one thing that’s certain: the commercial
real estate industry never stops. However, the restrictions on human
interaction have resulted in Belvoir getting creative and adapting to
the ways business has changed since early March. Through the
uncertainty, we’ve stayed committed to providing the same level of
service to our clients and tenants, even if we’ve had to make
adjustments in the process.
Since May 1, we’ve been back in the office and getting used to our
new “normal.” We knew that we needed to put a strategy in place to keep
our clients and employees safe and keep business running at a normal
pace. Although “going virtual” isn’t a typical phrase used in the real
estate industry, we’ve done just that when it comes to interacting with
our clients and offsite staff. The team has shifted to having update
meetings with brokers and support staff over Zoom, as well as altering
our recruitment strategy to include Zoom interviews rather than
in-person encounters. At Belvoir’s headquarters, we’ve set up hand
sanitizing stations built by our own building engineer, Omar Castellan,
and are taking turns in each of the rooms in our suite to keep a safe
distance from those we share offices with.
Our brokers have adapted to a new sales process as well, as the
demand for real estate in the Houston area remains steady. We’ve been
meeting with clients and other brokers digitally, and even networking
within our field over Zoom or the phone. Luckily, the technology of
today makes doing business digitally easy, and the real estate industry
has already made a shift towards digital transactions
in recent years. And even with social distancing restrictions in place,
our team hasn’t slowed down — we’re still getting real estate listings
and closing deals regularly.
The effects of the coronavirus shutdown, much like the virus itself,
are still largely unknown, and a clearer picture of the impact on the
real estate industry as a whole will begin to take shape in the second
quarter. But Belvoir remains resilient – much like the people who call
Houston home – and we’re proud to be able to continue to serve this
city’s real estate needs through this unprecedented time.