Coping with COVID-19 can be especially tough if you find yourself holed up in a house that doesn’t suit you.
Whether you’re working at home, homeschooling, or busy being chief cook and bottle washer for every meal, daydreaming about a new home can be a great way to relax in your spare moments.
It’s fun to look at homes. It’s an adult form of playing house, where you get to decide which bedroom is yours and where the dog bed will go. Whether it stays a daydream or transforms into reality, we are here to help during this pandemic with a series of down-to-earth tips for home buying during a global pandemic.
In case you missed them, here are the first 3 tips.
Tip 1: Secrets of Home Buying in COVID-19
Tip 2: What you need to know about buying a home and your debt during COVID-19
Tip 3: Finding focus in a tumultuous economy
You don’t have to wait for Mr. Rogers to take you to the “Neighborhood of Make Believe,” you can look at houses and neighborhoods now.
This is the perfect time to let your imagination roam and explore existing listings. Want a kitchen island? A larger pantry? A bathroom with a bathtub? Updated cabinets and floors? Maybe the thing you want most right now is dedicated home office space. There’s a home out there that is just what you’re looking for and it’s waiting for you to find it.
Whether you need a larger home with lots of bathrooms or are ready to downsize, it’s easy to explore your choices by browsing listings online here. You can search for new listings or narrow your search by price. You can even search city by city.
If you’ve always dreamed of living in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, or any of our other amazing desert cities, now is the time to look!
Use this searching time as a fun escape from reality. At this point, we are all experiencing a bit of “Covid-brain” so a little escape into something to look forward to is fun, productive, and great therapy!
Identify lists of things that are important to you while you have time and space to do so.
Make a wish list. Do you want to live someplace quiet so you can keep hearing the birds even after post-pandemic traffic picks up again? Do you want to be close to hiking trails so you can step out of your door and be in nature? Or is the action of downtown, shopping, and your favorite restaurants what excites you?
You don’t have to dream it. You can do it. Let’s turn that dream into REALTY!
Poke around. Go beyond looking at houses. What do you want in a neighborhood? Are you looking for an area that’s great for families or one with more of an adult vibe? Check out the neighborhoods in your favorite zones. Notice some of the things you are seeing online — there may be virtual tours, what are you noticing with the neighborhoods? Are there any surprises?
How do these virtual excursions “feel” — don’t ignore your “feels” with home buying. Even under the effects of “Covid-brain,” your spidey sense is working. When you find surprises, make sure they are good surprises.
My team and I put together a monthly Desert Housing Report to support you. Our report covers buying and selling trends both locally and nationally, gives hints on what is happening in the economy, and has other tips to give you the power you need to find the right home for you.