Behind the Mask

Thanks to those of you that continue to follow my posts and be avid readers of our journey. It’s been a long time since my last post. I had to name this post, “Behind the Mask,” because in our new Covid World we’re living in, we’re mostly all behind a mask. Who could have known this would be the way 2020 would look like?

Opening a business in a new City certainly sounds fun. Doing it in the middle of a national pandemic, probably not something I would advise. However, we are doing it! I’m proud of where we’ve gotten to thus far, albeit not where I had hoped, but proud also of where we are headed.

The Covid era certainly turned things upside down in our real estate business and in our personal lives. Turning from a very people centric business building relationships daily from face to face interactions, to doing things behind a computer and showing your worth through electronic documents and Zoom meetings … embracing the newly daily used word “virtual.” Then, from a personal standpoint, raising an 8 and 11 year old in a new virtual school platform. Let’s just say it’s been a year of being agile and adapting to change quickly. Heck, we are still changing things often as we see a need.

Our real estate team is selling houses and helping others make their American Dream of home ownership come true. For some, they are selling to move closer to family or due to learning the hard way through this pandemic that their house is too large or too small or too “open.” Clients of ours at almost every new buyer consultation told us they wanted an “open concept” or “open floor plan.” Some still do prefer that, but my how things have changed. Due to the economy, some people have had to sell their homes and start a new chapter too. Luckily for buyers, the interest rates are at historic lows. Luckily for sellers, there’s a national shortage of homes for sale and inventory on the market, so that is keeping home prices on a steady rise.

As a mom, I have to say I’m grateful for each and every moment and lesson of this year. The opportunities and time we’ve been able to spend together are priceless. My 11 year old daughter and I did months worth of “positive posts” on a daily Facebook Live sharing a positive thing that happened each day in our own lives. We had family workout time together. We chatted a lot as a family about how this has affected school, work, travel, and so much more. We also took a 24 day road trip and saw 15 different states. What an incredible opportunity and something that never would have happened if the kids were in school full time and my husband still traveling crazily for work all the time.

All in all, it’s been a YEAR, hasn’t it? It’s been a year of unknown, a year of successes, failures, family time, and new opportunities. As we go into the end of the year, I encourage all of us to reflect on not the hardships we’ve had through this pandemic, but what positives we have seen as well. There are many when you really stop to think about it. If you’d like, please share with me and comment below too. I’d love to read about your positivity and viewpoint as well.