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Axios.com: Why the Corona Virus is leading Americans to move to the Suburbs

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By: Jennifer A. Kingson

Axios.com

“It’s not just emotional buying, real estate agents say: There are smart and strategic reasons that Americans of all ages, races and incomes are moving away from urban centers.

Why it matters: Bidding wars, frantic plays for a big suburban house with a pool, buying a property sight unseen — they’re all part of Americans’ calculus that our lives and lifestyles have been permanently changed by coronavirus and that we’ll need more space (indoors and out) for the long term.

Driving the news: There’s a gold rush in real estate across the U.S., driven by record-low mortgage rates and the dawning realization that for many of us, our homes are going to be the only place we work and play for the foreseeable future.

  • The trend started in the spring when school was cancelled in many areas, and has gained steam as companies have allowed workers to continue working from home (in some cases, indefinitely) and as question marks have arisen over in-person school this fall.
  • While spacious single-family homes in suburbs and exurbs are in hot demand, apartment rents are falling in places like Manhattan, where landlords are offering deals to entice tenants.

What buyers are looking for: Fresh air, backyards, home offices (for two adults), a homeschooling area, space for pets, home gyms — plus proximity to beaches, lakes, parks and bike paths.

  • “Preferences have moved from ‘what’s a prestigious location?’ to ‘what’s practical?’ and ‘what’s the quality of life we want for our households?'” Anna DeSimone, a housing finance expert who writes guidebooks for consumers and mortgage professionals, tells Axios.
  • Searches on the Compass Real Estate website for houses with pools are up threefold, searches for single-family homes are up 40%, and searches for condominiums and co-ops have decreased, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin told CNBC.

As more people do their grocery and household shopping online, proximity to retail stores is no longer a real estate priority.

  • “We’re not hearing as much around brick-and-mortar, where’s the closest this-or-that,” Kris Lindahl, CEO of a real estate agency in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, tells Axios. “Instead it’s ‘can we get delivery here?'”

Between the lines: Some people are moving because they find that — now that they spend most of their time in the same place with the same people — they are dissatisfied with their current housing.

  • “When you’re spending nine-plus hours a day at home, you’re going to see things differently,” Lindahl says.

By the numbers: Existing home sales rose 20.7% in June over May, and median housing prices rose in every region of the country, according to the National Association of Realtors.

  • Sales growth is particularly pronounced in more affordable regions like the South and the Midwest, Lawrence Yun, the NAR’s chief economist, tells Axios.
  • One new trend he identified: “People wanting to buy out in the suburbs and away from city centers.”

Unlike in decades past, the move toward the suburbs does not represent “white flight,” but rather the work-from-home phenomenon, Yun tells Axios.

  • “The people moving to the suburbs are of all races and ethnicities,” Yun said, noting that equal access to housing in all areas is “the law of the land.”

Inventory of available homes for sale — which was low even before the pandemic — has grown even scarcer, to the point that realtors are knocking on the doors of desirable homes and asking the occupants if they’d consider selling.

  • “It’s been nutty for the past couple of weeks,” Andrea Paro, an agent at Compass Real Estate in Bethesda, Md., tells Axios. “I am trying to fasten the seat belt and just ride this.”
  • She recently listed a single family house in Falls Church, Va., and immediately got 64 requests for showings. “I’ll probably get 10 offers,” she says.

Despite the logic in the market, some percentage of buyers are making purchases based on panic or other emotions — and those are the ones who may rue their decisions or find that their homes don’t hold their value.

  • In the New York City area, that can mean that buyers are “paying $50,000 more so they can move out to Connecticut and ride their bike and go to the beach,” DeSimone says.
  • All too often, she says, “When people are making an emotional or hasty decision, that real estate investment is not going to grow.”

https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-suburbs-real-estate-market-3ee9dc49-d3c2-486d-8400-66a6cd1d1856.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top

Working With Buyers In A Covid-19 Environment

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Working with Buyers in a Covid-19 Environment

By: Noreen Payne

     Sitting at my desk and pondering the path forward during this time of social distancing and virtual work during Covid-19, I wonder how things will be different in our personal residential real estate business once we make it through these challenging times. But, for now, the focus is on how we continue to serve our buyers who are not only wanting to buy a home but also have to. Like many of our colleagues, we’re also looking at ways to conduct our business virtually. When it comes to our buyers, for now the days of picking them up in our cars and face-to-face interaction are on hold. Those of you who know me know I’m missing those personal moments immensely! 

That said, I’m finding that using tools such as FaceTime, Zoom, App Files, Video and Virtual tours can also go a long way toward building a solid relationship. In fact, we’ve just closed on a new home purchase with a buyer who has never set foot in the home they just bought! Though this is the first time we’re weathering a pandemic, this isn’t the first time we’ve done this. Remote contact can be a common way for buyers to purchase, especially investors who trust us with their goals.

     In the case of our recent close, we started in the classic Residential Real Estate fashion, doing what we do best. The fact-finding process, once done in person, can be handled via conference call. During the call I asked a lot of questions and did even more listening. Then I created the usual searches and shared them over email—after which came the usual back and forth feedback, mostly done via virtual tours, photos and a few FaceTime calls.

    Working in this manner with our buyer, we actually found the perfect home in no time! I set the showing with the listing agent and luckily the home is vacant and on a SUPRA, therefore, no contact/no touch deemed necessary. Over FaceTime the buyers and I took our time going through every inch of the home, down to the street on which it’s located. We negotiated the deal and went under contract. At the time of inspection, I met the inspector, who we know very well. As a side note: It’s my firm belief that having trusted partners working with you at all times is a must! I unlocked the door for the inspector and reconvened with the client over FaceTime to give them the update.  Obviously, many more things can happen prior to closing. In this case, we met General Contractors, interior designers, landscapers, plumbers, electricians, and more. It was a great help having an agent on the listing side who was incredibly accommodating and a pleasure to work with. In these days of Covid-19, our spirit of teamwork is being put to the test. Now more than ever, we’re all pulling together in the best interest of our clients to ensure smooth closings like this one. 

    In this time of uncertainty, my initial reaction was to withdraw—even marketing didn’t feel right. But, I believe these days the reality is that our clients now need our support more than ever (of course at a safe six-foot distance).

About Noreen Payne

Noreen Payne is a partner in the All About Florida Homes team of Lang Realty. She and her co-partner, Amy Snook, provide concierge-level real estate service in South Florida. She is currently Chairman of the Board for the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce and is on the Board of Directors for The Achievement Center for Children & Families, and is an active volunteer with The Caring Kitchen.

 

 

How We Navigate Virtual Real Estate!

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Amy explains how more than ever our technological tools are important in maintaining our social distance and health. The AllAboutFlorida Homes Team has all the right tools to help you list or buy your home. We know exactly how to navigate during these uncertain times and want our clients to feel comfortable knowing that we have a plan!

 

 

COVID-19 Personal Financial FAQ’s for Homebuyer’s

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1. My company’s offices are closed, and I am having a hard time providing my final verification of employment within the 10 days prior to loan closing.

FHA and RHS are allowing verbal verification of employment. Specifically, your employer can provide this by phone. RHS is also allowing email verification. If you cannot get either of these, the lender will require higher reserves to cover risk. 

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow verbal verification when available and an email verification under certain conditions. They have also made other forms of temporary verification available in order to help with verification while social distancing

2.My lender indicated that the IRS has shut down and they cannot process loans without an income verification document that only the IRS can generate. Is this true?

Luckily, there is precedence for an IRS shutdown based on several recent government shutdowns. Some lenders may require this document, but Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA do not so this is a lender overlay.

Fannie and Freddie both issued guidance in January 2019 following the previous government shutdown to note that they do not require the 4506T IRS tax transcripts at closing. Rather, they only require a request for the document be signed by the borrower. However, they do require the tax transcript be submitted as part of their post-closing review. NAR has asked both Fannie and Freddie to clarify and publish updated guidance given the unique challenges posed by COVID-19.

Furthermore, the IRS reopened this facility during the shutdown as it was deemed essential. We have reached out to the IRS on this point.
  1. I have heard that the FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac have raised rates and fees on borrowers with lower credit scores or smaller down payments?

    These claims are not true. To date, neither the FHA nor Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have made any changes to credit scoring or down payment requirements. The only change they have made for borrowers is to allow MORE flexibility in how a lender can verify employment.

    However, some individual lenders are adding their own, higher standards on these products. The rational is that the cost of servicing these loans has surged due to the widespread forbearance that is taxing servicers’ resources. Under forbearance, the servicer must continue to pay PITI to the investor, but the sheer volume of forbearance to deal with the COVID-19 response is unprecedented. Since lower-credit borrowers are more likely to take forbearance and servicing is harder to get, lenders are less willing to extend this credit regardless of the FHA or GSEs’ standards.

    NAR sent a letter to the Treasury, Federal Reserve, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency requesting help for servicers dealing with the unprecedented demands on funds due to broad forbearance requests. Improving servicing is one key to improving the flow of funds to borrowers and homeowners.

    Ginnie Mae has announced the creation of a new program, that should help alleviate lender concerns and improve access to mortgage financing. The program will provide cover for lenders by advancing them the money so they can make the required pass- through payments to investors during the forbearance period.

We’re here for You! Virtually!

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We have so many tools available like Facetime, Virtual Video home tours, E-signatures, and many more no contact options to keep our clients comfortable and safe during this climate!

As agents and people our main goal has always been to help our community and lend a helping hand wherever possible. You can always count on us to answer the phone- we are always open to answer any questions you have, in real estate and beyond. Please do not hesitate to call, we are here to be a resource to you!

How We Can Work with Clients During this Challenging Time!

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  It is hard to say what our future will look like in real estate or for that matter anything in our world, post this pandemic. While there is a lot of “bad” to focus on, I am really trying to focus on any positives that may come out of this time.   I am certain for many of us, the time at home with our children, has provided us with opportunities that we most definitely did not prioritize in the past. Realtors are constantly “on” – responding to clients, conducting searches, showing property, coordinating towards closings, educating ourselves, sharing information with our clients and prospects and so on.    So, to “have” to slow down has been actually wonderful.

I am spending time doing things with my son that I just hadn’t found the time – we played checkers, twister and even taught him how to cook (even though it is most definitely not my forte).

As for business – when I slow my mind down and really pay attention to the calls we are receiving – I realize that our clients, friends, prospects DO rely on us for real estate guidance.   I think this has always been there, but I just didn’t slow down to realize it.

Today a prospect called and asked us to list one of his homes for rent.  He had been listed as for sale by owner and hadn’t received calls – the truth is for this one, I analyzed how he was marketing the home and his price point and gave him guidance rather than taking the listing.  Why? Because his margins are very tight and I felt that I could help him without his having to pay an agent for this rental – so he reduced to the number I suggested based upon comps and I had him reorder his photos, remove some photos, alter his write up and voila – the phone started ringing. 

We are here to help – give guidance, be supportive, educate and be a resource for all.  As a thank you for helping him with his rental listing…. And unbeknownst to me…he has another property that he wants us to put up for sale.

For my fellow Realtors, be a trusted resource, offer guidance, continue your education so you can continue to be an expert.  Now is the time when you can create some blogs, record videos, etc. and work to share your knowledge.

By: Amy Snook