Dealing with house repairs in a pandemic

Tackling home repairs can be a hassle; more so, when these need to be done in the middle of a pandemic. The biggest issue involves letting professionals – albeit, total strangers – inside your home to do the fixes. Safety concerns will be the least of your problems; you’ll also be dealing with potential delays in work resolution and other headache-inducing issues.

Other than wishing that no major house repairs will be required in the duration of the pandemic, there are ways to address these said repairs safely. Here are some of them:

Learn to DIY

Some home repairs don’t require the help of professionals. That said, before automatically reaching for the phone to get in touch with a technician, analyze the extent of the problem first. If you believe that the issue can be resolved by a little tinkering here and there, then try to do the repairs yourself. Not only does this immediately resolve your problem but it also translates to savings.

Just be cautious when dealing with electrical or plumbing issues, though. You run the risk of hurting yourself, setting your house on fire/flooding your house, or making the problem worse. In these instances, better to leave the job to the pros.

Ask questions about the technicians

When calling for a repair guy or technician, it doesn’t hurt to make sure that you’re getting one who not only knows the job but is also very much aware of anti-COVID safety protocols. Check their company if they have guidelines concerning the protection of both their employees and their clients against disease-causing microbes while conducting home repairs. Ask about vaccines and the use of protective equipment. At this point, the concern doesn’t simply involve the house fixture or item in need of repairs but also keeping the family safe from unseen threats.

Create hand sanitizing stations

Handwashing and sanitizing are among the most effective ways to prevent the spread of the virus. Make sure you have the items for these available at all times to anyone who enters your home – repair technicians included. Your best recourse is to set up a handwashing station. However, if this isn’t possible, giving the technicians rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizers should suffice.

Limit access

Unless your house issue is in need of repairs involves looking at almost all areas of the house (e.g., electrical, pests, etc.), you don’t need the technicians to have exclusive access to said areas. You can either limit their movement to the parts of the house that need the repairs or accompany them to said areas, provided that you also follow standard social distancing procedures. Make the visit as short and easy as possible to prevent infection.

In this day and age, it is always best to err on the side of caution, especially in keeping your home virus-free. A good repair person and their company should be able to understand this and should also have their own safety protocols when doing house repairs.

Finding the right people to do house repairs in the middle of a pandemic can be a chore, but there are real estate firms that can help you in your search. In Wenatche, Leavenworth, Lake Chelan, and Cashmere, there’s Coldwell Banker Cascade Real Estate to the rescue. They have a wide network of connections from fellow agents to those in affiliated industries, including reputable companies who can see to your house repairs. Call the team today at 509.888.8887 or email info(at)cbcascade(dotted)com to know more.