SAN FRANCISCO, May 20, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Even in the best of times, buying or selling a home can be challenging without the right tools and guidance. That's particularly true in the wake of COVID-19's impact on the economy and how we live our daily lives. As home buyers and sellers grapple with their new reality, technology can help reduce or even eliminate the friction that traditional transactions have faced for decades, especially as the country begins to move out of the strictest containment measures for COVID-19.
On April 22, HomeLight launched its first-to-market Move Safe Certification, a program to identify agents who are using the best tools, technology, and practices to help keep clients safe in a COVID-19 environment. Since the program's launch:
- Over 65% of clients have reported being concerned about the virus as they consider buying or selling a home
- Over 10,000 top agents have been Move Safe certified across the United States
- Over 87% of home buyers and sellers who have used HomeLight's flagship Agent Matching platform have been matched with a Move Safe Certified agent
"We're committed to ensuring the HomeLight platform reflects what really matters to home buyers and sellers. Right now, that's helping them buy and sell safely both during and coming out of COVID-19," said HomeLight's CEO and founder, Drew Uher. "Now more than ever, the safety of our clients and valued agent partners is paramount. We're prepared to continue to refer home buyers and sellers to the agents who are best equipped to serve them during these uniquely challenging times."
To qualify for the program, agents must report on the specific ways they're prepared to help clients during these uncertain times. Some minimum qualifications are required to unlock the certification, including:
- Meeting with clients virtually
- Ensuring houses are clean for showings
- Using an e-sign platform for the transfer and signature of disclosures, offers, and closings (where legally possible)
- Limiting showings to serious buyers
- Providing a baseline online presence for listings
Other offerings that are heavily recommended – but not required – will appear as a bonus on the agent's profile page. These include virtual staging capabilities, aerial photography options, the use of a coronavirus addendum in their purchase agreements, and more.
The Move Safe Certification will work alongside HomeLight's flagship products, including its HomeLight Trade-in and Cash Offer programs, which have empowered home owners to sell simply, safely, and with certainty during COVID-19 and beyond.
About HomeLight
HomeLight's mission is simple – we empower people to make smarter decisions during one of life's most important moments: buying or selling their home. We provide software and services to home buyers, sellers, and real estate agents, from our flagship Agent Matching platform to our innovative financing and closing solutions like HomeLight Trade-in and Cash Offer, creating an end-to-end real estate experience that's simple, certain, and satisfying. Each year, HomeLight helps hundreds of thousands of clients connect with top real estate agents, and it facilitates billions of dollars of real estate on its platform.
SOURCE HomeLight
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