Social Distancing
A little bit of real estate | A little bit of life
((looking for just the personal side – scroll to the bottom))
REAL ESTATE
In these wild times, we thought it would be beneficial to share some new norms that we’re implementing to keep everyone feeling safe and healthy out there! First and foremost, we’re on board with social distancing and believe this will absolutely help us all get through this much faster by flattening out the curve. Luckily, most real estate activities involve less than a group of 10 anyway (showings, closings, etc…) but if the corona (elbow) bump + hand sanitizer is not cutting it for you – no problem! After brainstorming, all we have to say is THANK GOD FOR TECHNOLOGY (and thank God we’re already pretty tech savvy in our current business model). Shall we?
The new norms:
Video tours for our buyers!
Let us go through and tour for you. If you’d prefer a FaceTime, we can coordinate a formal showing time with you as well! We all know that pictures can sometimes be deceiving and that the floor plan, finishes, (actual) size of the back yard and neighborhood are the main reasons you go tour anyway. Use this as an opportunity for a joy ride to get a feel for the neighborhood and location and let us get video footage of the rest! This isn’t our first rodeo – we do this for our out of towners often!
Zoom conference calls!
Ready to list but waiting for the dust to settle a bit? No problem! Let’s chat via Zoom. If we haven’t seen your home in person yet, we may use it as an opportunity to ask for a virtual tour so we can best advise on potential improvements and pricing so we’re ready to rock and roll when the time is right.
Virtual Open Houses!
Already listed or ready to go ahead and list? Facebook and YouTube give us the opportunity to video tour and push these out on social media! We are also able to upload these to the MLS and will be working on having those added for our active listings. You’re just a social boost away from finding a buyer virtually.
The what if’s:
No matter what stage of the selling/buying process you are in, we don’t want the fear of the unknown keeping you from playing the real estate game. Here are a few scenarios:
– What if we’re already listed? Don’t withdraw just to put it back on the market if you’re serious about selling. No one is going to be shocked by the days on market if it doesn’t fly off the shelves during this pandemic. Buyers are still looking even when they aren’t as active in the field. Once this haze lifts, we anticipate a speedy dive back in for those who were ready to make moves. Stay a step ahead. The supply was already low and now could be your time to shine.
– What if we really want to take advantage of the low interest rates? DO. IT. This can make a bigger difference than you realize on your monthly mortgage amount and/or affordability.
– What if we’re under contract? If you aren’t in a position to where you are concerned about job security and you have locked in one of these historically low interest rates already, continue onward. We have a listing under contract right now and, if the buyer walked, she would lose her 3.125 interest rate (current interest rates are around 3.75) and she wouldn’t be qualified for the same priced home. If you’re wondering if you should wait for a bunch of foreclosures and short sales to pop up again, keep reading…Not saying they may not exist, but it won’t be like last time and cash buyers are already hawking our market ready to pounce.
What we’re hearing:
There is no doubt that this is a scary time for all. In addition to being concerned about the health side of things, the word recession brings about a slight PTSD for everyone! That said, the Great Recession (aka the housing bubble of 2008) was a different beast > More on that here.
We have been diving in to as many lending and Keller Williams calls as possible and soaking in all of the knowledge and wisdom we can. Want to know what we’re hearing? This is situational and will be shallow. Truth be told, we have been anticipating a shift for quite some time. I wrote this blog in December 2018 when Keller Williams started talking about how the market can’t stay this hot forever so to start preparing for a shift 12-18 months ahead and here we are! For all intents + purposes, this pandemic (while not ideal health wise) has essentially just taken the inevitable market shift and pushed it over the cliff rather than having it teeter over the edge. In our opinion, based on articles and insight from experts much wiser than we are on the situation, this “recession” will be circumstantial and much more shallow and shorter than others we’ve experienced in the past. This pandemic has essentially taken our economy/market and slammed it to the ground rather than having it slowly fall. And we all know that a ball that is slammed to the ground bounces back much higher and faster than one that is slowly released from its original starting point. We live in the greatest country in the World and once the dust settles everyone will have the confidence and eagerness to get back to their everyday activities that have supported this economy that has been thriving over the last decade!
We surely understand the uncertainty of such a time and no one has a crystal ball to predict what’s to come. If you have any questions regarding the real estate world, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re all navigating this new norm together and we are here for you through it all!
LIFE
On a more personal note, here are some things we’re doing personally to help keep us in a positive space:
– Trevor goes to the golf course. Fresh air goes a long ways. We said if things are super slow on the golf course, we’d take the boys out and walk 18 holes to get some exercise and let Banks play along the way.
– I am getting ready to commit to a 30 day yoga challenge and just started a 31-day devotional on decluttering (which I’m really excited to dive into as we spend some time decluttering not just physically but mentally). I’m excited to see what this combo will do for my life 30 days from now.
>> I saw Rachel Hollis post the other day: “The bad news is – anything can happen in 30 days. The good news is – anything can happen in 30 days”
– Get outdoors! We play outside and take a walk around the block every day that the weather allows it and just took a hike around Red Top Mountain.
– READ. If you want book recommendations, I’m an audible junkie and usually can be found with a book in the AM to get me going and one at night to help me close my eyes. I had lost the nighttime reading a few months back and am looking forward to bringing that back.
– Use this as an opportunity to get projects done around the house. Have you been putting off a landscaping project or painting? What about going through your clothes and preparing a batch for Goodwill? Don’t look back after this is all over and wish you had more time to do it. You did. You do. Get on it.
– Enjoy more meals at home. If you love to cook, great! If not, go get takeout and support a small business! They can use our support right now.
– Spend some quality time with the family. Trevor and I have recently brought back Spades and/or Uno in our household and love doing puzzles with Banks.
– This extra time not running to t-ball practice/games, events or other extra curriculars that keep us busy, make room for space. No matter what your calendar looked like and how this has changed it, use it as an opportunity to reevaluate who you are, where you’re at and where you want to be so you can be a step ahead once this passes.
– Host a zoom gathering with your friends. See each other’s faces, pour a drink and add some laughter in. If you aren’t sick and are comfortable in groups of less than 10, you can go that route instead.
– Look for the helpers AND be the helper. I love seeing everyone rally for the elderly and for the kids who may not have meals as they homeschool. Trevor and I took 6 dozen green donuts to the hospital on St. Patricks Day with a “We’re lucky to have you” thank you note. We brought/are bringing two families with new babies meals this week. If you’re willing and able, go do something good! It will make you feel better.
– Some have jobs that makes this scenario more demanding. Enjoy the job security and if you’re on the frontlines (whether in a hospital or at the grocery store), we want to say THANK YOU.
– Small business owners – use this as a chance to get creative and think outside the box. Were you getting complacent? Nothing like a jolt like this to kick you back into gear and make you realize how much you had to be grateful for. Use this as an opportunity to grow!
>> Did you know that the Chinese have two separate symbols for the word “crisis”? One translates as danger, the other translates as opportunity. Noodle on that.
This too shall pass and, when it does, we’ll be better for it! May we all use this as an opportunity to appreciate the little things in life when it’s all going according to plan. We can’t wait to see all the good that comes out through all of this!
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