I always tell my clients, purchasing a home is not for the faint of heart. It is both an emotional journey and a large financial commitment that under normal circumstances is already stressful enough. For buyers and sellers in 2020, our game was completely changed by stay at home orders, masks and new practices to keep all of us safe. It was a tremendous learning opportunity for our industry and as I wrapped up the year, I thought it would be interesting to highlight my client’s story of purchasing her home during unprecedented times.
Imagine being a first time home buyer with a limited budget in a competitive market. Sydney persevered and stayed the course to purchase her first home in the fall of 2020. Through face masks, we laughed, wandered through homes and talked about her plans as a homeowner. At only 26, Sydney managed to do the unthinkable and we found her a home that was both move-in ready and under $120k (and still only 15 mins to downtown). I thought her experience was one that would give hope to other first time home buyers.
What is it like buying during a pandemic?
Exciting and nerve wracking. Knowing that I was lucky enough to save money and buy during a pandemic is surreal.
Did you ever feel like the pandemic would affect your search? Did you have any hesitation going in to it?
Most definitely! Looking to buy my first home was already stressful but starting my search during this time definitely didn’t help. Knowing my realtor had my back every step of the way took all the stress of and made it fun again.
As a first time home buyer, did buying during this time affect the process or your idea of how it would go?
Not as much as I thought it would. For the most part, it seemed like a normal purchase or at least how I pictured it.
Favorite house buying memory?
Seeing all the different ways I can design in the houses we visited. I got a lot of inspiration from house shopping.
