Q: “Denise, as a thank you to my buyer clients, I usually host a little housewarming get-together for the new homeowners and the neighbors. It is informal. I usually buy my buyers a fire pit and set up a s’mores buffet. That way the buyers don’t feel like they have to have the house nice and neat, but that provides the ice breaker and a warm welcome to the neighborhood. However, I am not sure what to do with the current COVID situation. Should people come by anyway? Stay away until further notice? Any suggestions?”

A: First and foremost, I recommend you follow your state and local guidelines when it comes to the rules in addition to your local real estate governing body. Start there to determine what you can do now, what the next level of loosening up looks like and when might that be phased in. That way you might be able to determine a schedule. For example, if your governing body says that orchestrating a get-together like that isn’t okay now, but it might be in three weeks, then you have a date to plan for, even if it needs to be pushed back a little.

 Remember, if a buyer closes today, tomorrow, or next week, there is no reason why your get-together has to happen immediately. Give it some breathing room and follow your buyers’ lead. If they aren’t comfortable, leave them the fire pit and some s’mores fixings and leave it at that.

 When you do move forward with a get-together like this, instead of a buffet where everyone’s hands might be touching the same thing, consider a pre-packaged s’mores bag like this.

I would recommend hiring a professional kitchen to put this together instead of you doing it, although it seems very simple to do. The standards of cleanliness required at a professional cooking facility will give you peace of mind that you are doing everything to protect your clients and their new neighbors.

Have a plan for disinfecting the marshmallow-cooking sticks and encourage people to wear gloves.

Good luck!