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Crazy Times Living in the Covid-19 Era


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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