Quarantine has been a downer on the real estate market, home sales down in the market in April and May, according to the Houston Area Realtors.But they’re seeing an uptick, if conditions continue to improve. And if working from home patterns continue and commutes no longer part of the equation that could a number of people to reconsider their geography. “We’ve seen a big increase in the number of home sales with pools. People who have been quarantined in their house for the last couple of months now really wish they had outdoor space they could use, so we’ve seen homes with pools see really high sales,” says Jennifer Wauhob, the principle of the Jennifer Wauhob Team Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene and vice chair of the HAR.
Buyers at both ends of the financial spectrum have been on the light side, with a 37% drop in sales of homes valued below $100,000 and a 56% drop in homes over $750,000, according to HAR.
One area of sunlight has been the home rental market, leases jumping almost 12% over last year. The average rent for a single-family home is $1,800 and the average monthly rent for a condo or townhouse around $1,500, obviously dependent on the square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Wauhob says if you’ve been thinking of putting your house on the market, perhaps you’re one of those finding that work requirements are changing lifestyle choices, this might be a good time. “If you were anticipating selling, now might be a great time to do it because you’re going to have a lot of demand for your home,” she adds.
photo by getty images