I am undoubtedly not the first CEO that you’re hearing from as we all look to make it through these unusual times, and I’m quite sure that I won’t be the last. COVID-19 has impacted the world in ways that for most of us were previously unimaginable. I’m writing this while sheltering-in-place with my wife and dog at our home in San Francisco. We’ve all been making major adjustments to daily life, and I want to assure our Torii community that we are working tirelessly to support you through these harrowing times. Our clients and our team are of utmost priority to us. You’ll see below just a few of the things that we’re doing to address the situation.

We operate in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Greater Boston Area. It’s no secret that, not unlike many other industries, real estate is challenging at the moment. It’s difficult – albeit not impossible – to buy a home when you can’t leave yours.

We are a small company. There are just 8 of us (so far!) that help our many amazing clients find the right home for them. To ensure that we can continue to keep our employees and their families safe and healthy, we have made some necessary changes to stay lean. Zach (the cofounder of Torii) and I have both dramatically cut our salaries. You’ll also see a bit less of Torii in some places you may have come to expect us, as we’ve scaled back our digital spend for the same reasons. We are continuing to fully pay our entire team, including benefits.

To our clients, there are a number of things worth noting:

• Torii was built from the beginning to make buying a home as easy as possible. We have worked for years to create technology to support buying a home digitally. That has not changed, but it’s more important now than ever before.
• You can now search our site for any properties that already mention virtual tours, or that note they are set up to accommodate them.  You’ll find that in the Torii app and on the website under your search filters. Look for the “Virtual Showings Available” checkbox.
• You’ll now see that when you “Schedule a Showing” through our app or website, you have the option to schedule “virtually.” If you can’t personally come with us to view a property, we will go for you when possible and stream it to you, or we’ll work with a listing agent or seller to help you see a property through pre-recorded tours or videos, or through a live video chat.
• Mortgage rates are at record lows, so if you are able to buy now, then our incredible partner lenders are available to help you get started with a preapproval whenever you’re ready. Preapprovals typically last for 60-90 days.

We will keep this post updated as we build out more resources to share with you in the coming days and weeks.

Thank you for being a part of the Torii community. These are tough times, but we’re all in this together, and we will all get through it together. Stay safe out there.

Thanks again,
James