We are in crazy times – that’s for sure. I have come to realize that liking where I live is a vital part of staying sane throughout this pandemic. Once I got over the idea of “having” to stay home, and after a few Zoom happy hours and email correspondence, I got a better grip on the idea. Others were telling me that that they actually kind of LOVE staying at home. And if they didn’t have to ever leave home again – they’d be all right with that! Really? I couldn’t see that. I miss my interactions with people; a handshake, a hug, touch, laughing over a good joke and seeing the faces of the people I come in contact with every day, once a week or even once every month or so. It’s really odd to not have that personal interaction and makes me sad.
But it’s only temporary. We will again be able to see each
other and hug and laugh – maybe even about this virus once it’s in the past.
Those of us that have lost loved ones will always remember this time as a sad
and somber event in life. Those of us that are lucky enough to skate through
with the minor inconvenience of staying at home for a few weeks may be able to
find a little humor in looking back. We might even find that it has changed us
forever in what we appreciate or take for granted. Like our home, the people we
live with and the people we don’t live with, going shopping, to the movies,
concerts, weddings and graduations.
For many of us working from home could become a bigger part
of our lives going forward. We can see the benefits and the increased
production possibilities. We also may see the need to have a dedicated office
space rather than a corner in the living room or bedroom. Remodels or moving to
a new home may affect the real estate market and construction industry over the
next year.
Real Estate will take a hit, it’s just a question of for how
long? I believe the near future will present an opportunity for buyers.
Interest rates are low – as they have always been, and there just might be a
small window of opportunity to be one of just a few buyers in the market rather
than one of many. BC-19 (Before Covid-19) the market was hopping and multiple
offers were coming fast and furious for many homes, a somewhat unusual
phenomenon for February. Then BAM! No showings allowed, no open houses, little
activity. Sellers living in their homes removed their properties from the
market, vacant homes stayed on but with very little attention – staging items
got dusty and blow up beds deflated – just like the market.
But there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I’m not sure
we see it yet, but I believe it will expose itself soon enough – well, maybe
not soon enough, but it will emerge. Life will get back to normal, a new
normal, perhaps, but it will get better. We will all appreciate the freedom we
had a little more. Hopefully we will all have more room for understanding each
other and the world around us. The WORLD is in this together – and I believe
this pandemic has made that so very clear. A sign from above? Mother Nature?
The human race is fragile and not just the strong can survive, we all can. We
all need each other to hold on in this world – this Earth, this country, this
neighborhood, this home.
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