Vancouver’s homebuilders step up to pandemic challenge

The coronavirus may have changed the way we live, for now, but it hasn’t changed the need for new homes to be built. Social distancing has resulted in industry professionals coming up with some very creative – and successful – new ways of conducting business, including the Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN), a professional organization with more than 1,100 members that include builders, developers, renovators, designers, suppliers, sub-trades and leading professionals who build 65 per cent of the homes in Metro Vancouver.

“Like most other businesses, HAVAN has had to make significant changes to the way we do business,” Ron Rapp, CEO of HAVAN (pictured here), tells New Home + Condo Guide. “While we remain fully operational, all staff is working from home with an occasional presence at the office on a one-by-one basis. Many of the educational, networking, and social events and programs originally cancelled or postponed are being moved online, with a very successful COVID-19 Webinar Series being offered to industry at no charge. We have embraced the role of being an information conduit to members focusing initially on COVID-19 awareness, and safety and onsite protocols, and broadening the scope to include human resource actions, doing business in these extra ordinary circumstances, and the outlook beyond COVIC-19 restrictions.”

HAVAN has also created a COVID-19 resource page on its website with real time information on stimulus and the numerous support programs being advanced by government. The organization’s offices were already using RingCentral, a VoIP system, including phone, chat rooms, and video conferencing, so the tech transition was relatively easy.

“We are finding our members are also adapting quickly, using these online tools for ‘face-to-face’ meetings,” says Rapp. “Many of our members’ sales offices are closed, however, they are still open on an appointment-only basis, with the appropriate limiting distances, and or information, collateral materials, specs, and virtual 3-D tours, and even sales agreements being transferred directly to clients' devices. The majority of our builder and renovator members continue to work, following the safety protocols outlined by the government.”

With so many employees now successfully working from home, Rapp wonders if this ‘home-office’ culture will continue and become more the norm, and how it will affect new-home design.

“The need for expensive office and workspace, with the attendant overheads, will start to be rethought, and the positive affects of reduced commuting volumes on greenhouse gases and climate are very significant,” he says. “I expect that homes will start to introduce dedicated workspace and enhanced electronic infrastructure and capacities to accommodate effective and efficient work-from-home opportunities.”

Other positives he sees coming out of this difficult time include good home-buying opportunities.

“Buyers at this time, as restrictions begin to be relaxed, have a perfect storm of opportunity to enter or continue to move along the housing continuum. Interest rates are at historic lows, federal and or provincial incentives are still in place, prices have eased to some extent, and vendors are more motivated. Care should be undertaken to ensure that permits, approvals, and construction financing are secured, and that disclosure documents are up to date and accurate, particularly regarding projected strata fees.”

Because the construction sector in B.C. has continued to operate, it has been able to contribute to the local economy and “help to increase the pace of recovery as other sectors are permitted to reactivate," says Rapp. " I expect that once the province ’reboots’ and gradually allows all sectors to re-engage, there will be some significant pent-up demand that will come to bear, and in conjunction with low interest rates and eroded prices, the outlook for the real estate sector could be quite bright."