Daniel Lee of Plum Property – a Brisbane brand quickly gaining attention for its nifty use of video – is taking extensive precautions against COVID-19 with the aim of protecting both his 20-plus staff and his valued clientele.
Open homes
Of course, this playing field altered on Monday night with news open homes and auctions would no longer continue, but up until then Daniel had a “do not touch” policy for prospective buyers that will now continue at private showings.
“Before the agent goes in, they sanitise their hands, then open up all the things a buyer might be likely to look in, like a few cupboards and drawers,” Daniel explains.
“This means there’s no need for attendees to touch anything and we’re explaining this at the outset. We’re also asking anyone who has a child to hold their hand throughout the visit, and we’re reminding people to stay 1.5 metres apart.”
The process is similar when showing rental properties, while Plum Property is also drawing on 3D cameras to create virtual tours.
“We’re offering this for free for all rentals,” he says.
Routine rental inspections
Technology is the tool of choice when it comes to routine rental inspections. Daniel says his PMs are now asking tenants to take timestamped photos of a list of areas and then submit them via email.
In the business
With a small tightknit team, Daniel notes staff are now on a rotating roster with minimal team members in the office and others working from home.
“At the moment we have two out of five PMs here each day. When it comes to sales staff, we’re asking that only either the agent or their associate is here.
“We were also considering giving our staff facemasks this week, but they’re proving hard to come by.”
Essential information is being relayed to the team via email, rather than meetings, but Daniel notes that’s having minimal impact and is pretty much standard operating procedure.
Staff welfare and general sentiment
Daniel says his team remains in positive spirits, and he and his business partner Dylan Simpson are looking to keep it that way.
“I can’t say there’s no anxiety, but I’ve got a brilliant positive team and the reality is, what can you do? We’re all in the same situation as an industry and a wider community. When you all face the same problem, it’s not such an overwhelming issue. We just need to pick up the tools and make the best of it.”
- You’ll hear more from Daniel Lee in the upcoming edition of Elite Agent Magazine.
