New home builders and developers in Calgary are modifying the way they do business in a bid to balance consumer demand for new housing with the need to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Many are reducing show home hours or providing personal one-on-one tours of show homes for public safety, while conducting business far from usual.

Grand openings and ground-breaking ceremonies have been cancelled to reduce crowds and limit social contact, a move which left local builder Homes by Avi unable to cancel a large food order for the grand opening of the Bungalows in Livingston by Avi Urban, its multi-family division, on Saturday.

Instead, the order from food truck vendor Arepa Boss was donated to the Calgary Drop-In Centre.

“It would have gone to waste had we not diverted it. It was a nice treat for the residents, which was a bit of a silver lining to the pandemic,” says the builder’s marketing and communications special, Kim Trim.

Qualico Communities and Pacesetter by Sterling Homes is postponing a product launch in Evanston on March 28 and will reschedule it at a later date.

Over the weekend, new home builders scrambled to e-mail customers, trade partners and other stakeholders to communicate what precautions they were taking in compliance with Alberta Health Services recommendations, some of which are changing hourly.

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