Are Estate Agents really ‘Essential’?
This is not clickbait as I of course refer to the current climate of covid-19 and lock downs and questioning if the ladies and gentlemen of the estate agency sector are really seen as essential during what for many of us is probably the biggest ever global event of our life time.
Fairly recent, and remembered for real by many, the second world war saw lock downs as such from air raids calling us to take shelter to the air raid wardens shouting ‘put that light out‘. Today we have been told, due to the current pandemic / plandemic (depending what side of the fence you sit on), to quite literally take shelter and avoid all. The life we had before from being able to attend the local football match to that well earned manicure along with the hospitality and tourism sectors taking one of the biggest hits, is now becoming a fading memory for many. ‘Stay at home and stay safe‘ we are told and all non essential businesses should close for four weeks or more…
What is non essential?
I quote from the official government website regarding what is deemed non essential:
- all non-essential retail, including, but not limited to clothing and electronics stores, vehicle showrooms, travel agents, betting shops, auction houses, tailors, car washes, tobacco and vape shops.
- indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, leisure centres and gyms, sports facilities including swimming pools, golf courses and driving ranges, dance studios, stables and riding centres, soft play facilities, climbing walls and climbing centres, archery and shooting ranges, water and theme parks,
- entertainment venues such as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, museums and galleries, casinos, adult gaming centres and arcades, bingo halls, bowling alleys, concert halls, zoos and other animal attractions, botanical gardens;
- personal care facilities such as hair, beauty and nail salons, tattoo parlours, spas, massage parlours, body and skin piercing services, non-medical acupuncture, and tanning salons.
They see it as essential if you are:
Food shops, supermarkets, garden centres and certain other retailers providing essential goods and services can remain open. GARDEN CENTRES Essential??
Full list can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november
So estate agents are also in the category of essential as stated by Robert Jenrick in a recent Tweet to Twitter.
Is buying and selling property seen as essential?
Well, in my opinion, they should not be seen as essential though they should be able to trade as doing so within safe practices and procedures they do not offer any kind of risk to the current covid-19/flu graphs that the government recently blinded us with to back up their current lock down. Most restaurants and bars have probably been one of the safest locations during the whole covid-19 saga and having put on an event at one place recently, the practices held to maintain safety and hygiene was one of the best I have seen since we were locked down back earlier this year – They have all been shut and deemed non essential.
I see many estate agencies also practicing great caution with health and safety in mind. Much of estate agency work can also be done virtually and that includes live viewings (Giraffe 360 live accompanied viewings).
What do you think – Estate agency essential or not?
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