I hope this post finds you and your loved ones in good spirits.  As we have all navigated the past several months, there has been no shortage of stress and anxiety, fear and anger, and sadness and frustration.  Our hearts and prayers go out to our friends and family who have dealt with feelings of isolation, economic hardship, or the loss of a loved one during this pandemic.  My sincere hope is that over the past weeks you have been given the opportunity to spend some extra time playing with your kids, working on that house project that was getting put off, and that you've been able to take advantage of the occasional warm spring day.  No matter what, I CANNOT stress enough that if there is something you need, please do not hesitate to reach out to Erin or myself - we are committed to serving our community and that is more important now than ever before.

As the coronavirus continues to impact all aspects of our lives, the real estate industry has no doubt been adapting to changes as well.  At NORCHAR, we have been embracing new technologies such as 3D-virtual tours for many years.  These tools suddenly have added relevance and it has been interesting to watch others in the industry try to catch up with our tech-forward philosophy.  The biggest change and challenge for me personally has been losing the in-person, face-to-face interaction which I so much enjoy.  It's always been very convenient to use technology when appropriate.  However, there are moments I am missing greatly, such as watching a buyer's children pick out which bedroom will belong to them in a moment of excitement when we have found them "THE" house.

 

Believe it or not there is some good news in the economic and housing forecast.  According to Business Insider and Redfin, Rochester's housing market is ranked the #1 most resilient in the country.  When it comes to seeing an economic downturn affecting our housing market we expect any decline to be short lived and that we will bounce back quickly.  Undoubtedly there will be a surge of new listings and activity as soon as some restrictions are lifted.

 

Please take the time to stay connected to one another during these trying times.  Be safe, stay healthy, take care of one another - and please, don't be a stranger!

 

- David and Erin Rossi