Changes are abundant in many industries recently and will continue in the coming weeks.

One group of people seeing major changes is realtors. As clients still have their houses listed to sell and some buyers are at a place where they need to buy realtors are working hard in many areas to make changes as they face new challenges.

Audra Reinhardt with CIR Realty is working hard to ensure clients are safe, if it is a must to go into a property Reinhardt states there are extreme precautions that need to be taken, having sanitizer, latex gloves and even masks on hand, as well as asking clients questions about recent travel or illness prior to any showing. Reinhardt notes sellers can and have said no to having someone in to view their home at this time.

This is where virtual tours are becoming an increasingly beneficial tool for realtors and clients, "Every agent does what they can, we can create virtual tours by saying to the seller that they've got someone who is interested can we do a virtual tour, and our sellers are very open to that and they would prefer that actually," said Reinhardt.

Reinhardt is spending extra time with buyers who want to view homes and they are being pre-qualified not only for financing but also to discuss their needs for timing of buying. If there is urgency, agents do their best to find the "right" property based on the client's absolute needs. If virtual tours can be used to narrow down the list of potential homes, this works really well

Hayley Poirier a realtor with The Reps of Remax Key is excited about the new way the team has incorporated showing homes during this time, "We've got a program that we are using called virtual open houses and it is a fun 3D way that buyers can go and take a look on social media or on our websites and actually tour houses themselves, it's a lot of fun and we are so happy that we are able to provide this service."

With the number of physical showings decreasing online tours are becoming an increasingly helpful tool for realtors to still support their clients. If the need arises for a realtor to take a client to a sellers' home with the sellers' permission the ensure they are going in separate vehicles, sanitizing and taking all necessary precautions, keeping social distance and minimizing the amount of contact with surfaces in a home.

Once the potential buyer has vacated a property the seller is instructed to disinfect potential hard surfaces that may have been touched, light switches, cabinets, countertops, bathrooms, doorknobs, etc.

There are still many different ways for buyers to see a home in this market, if there is an absolute need to go into a home there are specific protocols set out by the Calgary Real Estate Board ( CREB ) that need to be met by all involved.