As we all respond and adjust our lives to the dynamically changing landscape being carved by the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to reach out and provide my perspective and action plan as a Realtor, a community member, wife, mom, and friend.
First, as you’d expect, I am prioritizing the health and safety of my family and Team and have already enabled a completely virtual working environment to maintain business continuity. Beyond my Team’s safety, I want to ensure that I am here for you, to both encourage your safety and to support local, small businesses and the real estate opportunities happening in our market. Unlike the stock market and other areas of our lives that have been negatively impacted by this economic shutdown, real estate in our area maintains a balance of value that can be reassuring in tough times.
While we are not experiencing “business as usual” in the land of real estate, people are still actively touring, buying and selling homes. Some people have sold their homes and need to buy, some sellers are Relocating for jobs, etc., and some Buyers want to take advantage of our historic low-interest rates, and buy their first, or a larger home, for a lower percentage rate. But while I am still servicing my clients daily and with my normal intensity, my Team and I are taking precautions. We are meeting Virtually as much as possible, and our Home Workstations are fully prepared to manage any needs swiftly and securely. When we do visit homes, we prepare them with sanitizer and use gloves to protect others.
Property closing are being done remotely, individually in a sanitized office environment, or even from your car! Lastly, while I welcome interested Buyers to Tour Homes, I also provide Complimentary 3-D Tours and Facebook Live Open House Events to all of our Sellers, so Buyers who prefer to tour homes from the comfort and safety of theirs, can do so! Most likely some of these business and municipality shutdowns and skeleton crews will cause delays along the way to closing properties, and I urge everyone to be as patient as possible as we navigate these truly uncharted waters, together.
A word of caution to all of my clients and friends: As we’re all focused on health and safety, and then turn our attention to our communities, we know that there’s a population of people looking to exploit this situation! Cybercriminals and a host of other unsavory profiteers will be scouring the web for vulnerabilities. These grifters will continue to use phishing emails and other scams during these uncertain times and under the heading of the COVID-19 topic, or even naming your address or referencing a closing date in the email they send. So, please, stay vigilant in your attention to these matters and know that no one involved with a transaction will make a change to banking or wiring information without a direct phone call to you. As always, check with me if you are suspicious!
I appreciate that all of you are focused primarily on the health and safety of yourselves and your loved ones. I wanted to reach out to you to provide clarity and reassurance that these are the times that community members can really experience, firsthand, the ‘essence’ of commitment to our neighborhoods and neighbors! With that said, if you or your loved ones are experiencing difficulty getting necessities, please reach out to me at 724-713-0831 and myself or a Team Member will step in and try our best to help.
I will reach out again soon with another update on the state of the real estate market, and how it is impacting you, and our community. Until then, please keep in touch, reach out to me with questions – and above all, stay safe.
JoAnn