Be careful and be caring during the epidemic

2020-03-13

The outbreak of COVID-19 in the community has brought adverse impact to the Hong Kong society and economy in multiple aspects. The Hong Kong property market and the estate agency industry are inevitably affected.

Here, I would like to encourage practitioners in the estate agency trade to stay positive despite the economic adversity.

To effectively fight the epidemic, estate agency practitioners are advised to take extra care of their own personal hygiene and to maintain a clean work place for their staff and clients, such as, keep their hands clean at all times, and wear a surgical mask in the office and when meeting clients. It is also important to maintain good ventilation in the shops and regularly clean them with effective disinfectants (such as, 1:99 diluted household bleach). Practitioners should keep themselves updated on the latest news about the epidemic and take precautionary actions accordingly.

In the midst of this epidemic, fortunately we still hear some encouraging news from the estate agency trade. I have read that some estate agency shops, regardless of their business size, have made active contributions to the local community by donating surgical masks and even rice to the underprivileged group and the elderly. Such selfless giving is well-appreciated and worth commending, it also helps to enhance the image of estate agents in the public’s eyes.

I hope that all estate agents can remain positive and keep contributing to the society, and become not only a quality estate agent but also a valuable member of the society bringing kindness to the neighbourhood.

At the same time, the EAA also appeciates the difficulties the estate agency trade faces in their operations. In order to assist estate agents in developing and maintaining their professional service standard under the current difficult operating environment, the EAA has already announced that a one-off professional development subsidy of $500 will be distributed to holders of a valid estate agent’s licence (individual) or salesperson’s licence. The cashier orders will be mailed to eligible licensees starting from April 2020.

Hong Kong has gone through its ups and downs in the past. As long as we stay calm and strong, we will overcome and beat the epidemic. I believe that the Hong Kong economy and property market will be able to recover shortly after the epidemic subsides.

Ruby Hon
Chief Executive Officer
Estate Agents Authority