House Buying 2020 style

In the theme of “lets completely throw life up in the air and see where it falls (#2020),” I bought a house during the pandemic. Not only did I buy a house, I moved hundreds of miles away, back up 95, in an effort to be closer to more family members who can help Bry and I out as we begin our next chapter. Did I mention I never actually stepped foot in the house prior to purchasing it? And that I only stepped foot in my new hometown ONE time before purchasing this house? Would it really be 2020 if it were any other way?

Writing this blog, I’m a couple of weeks into my move; a move that remains bittersweet. On the morning before my move, I went through a bunch of pictures to pull together a “See you Later, Maryland” social post, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t super emotional. Change can be hard. I miss my friends and my family back in Baltimore; I miss walking by the harbor, grabbing my lemon-ginger water from Pure Raw, and EVEN waiting 14,000 years at the Starbs on Fort Ave to give me a tall, black dark roast coffee. I miss having remnants of my previous chapter, the pre-cancer chapter, right there, reminding of me of less complicated times. But then again, a big part of moving forward means that I don’t need to rely on that to keep the memories close. It’s time.

 My coach would remind me that “change” is what I determine it is. I may choose to think it’s hard sometimes, and that’s ok. I give myself permission to admit this s*** is hard. But, sometimes, change is vital. It’s not a new beginning; it’s a new chapter. Leaving Baltimore doesn’t mean leaving Matt behind. Matt is part of my foundation and part of who I am. My location doesn’t change that; it just gives me the space and the support to rebuild. And, that brings us to today. If you want to read more about my decision to move up the east coast, check out my last blog post here. 

If you’re a faithful blog follower, you know that I occassionally like to bring in the experts to educate my readers on different topics that correlate to my life. From my maternity photo shoot interview with Caroline to my essential oils post with my girl Nic, I like to empart some applicable knowledge from people who kill it in their respective fields of interest. This particular blog post is about finding the perfect “next chapter” home for Bry and I, and the crazy real estate market of 2020. But, before I bring in the expert, lets rewind a bit.  

How I chose West Hartford, CT

Let me preface this by saying, I wasn’t on a specific time schedule. My lease terms end in February, so when I began entertaining the idea of potentially moving back up to New England, I didn’t feel pressured to purchase something right away. After A Matter of Hope, you may recall that I travelled up to Maine for a week to take a break from everything. While up there, I started to really grapple with the idea of needing help; in particular, consistent help from a rockstar grandparent team able to provide the level of help that won’t interfere with raising their own families. I thought about how important it is for Bryson to be close to his grandparents on both sides, especially with Matt not physically here. I was once told “I shouldn’t be afraid to rely on family.” I started to really take that to heart. 

At that point, I was 50/50. Would I stay? Would I go? I didn’t want to rent another year, so it was either 1) buy a townhouse in Baltimore or 2) buy a home in New England. So the next question: Where in New England? Knowing that my main reason for moving back to New England was to be closer to family, especially my parents and my in-laws, Connecticut seemed like the only logical choice. Anywhere north of MA would have been pretty far for my in-laws to travel and, though I considered my old stomping grounds in Beantown, it isn’t super convenient for my parents or for my in-laws. So, Connecticut it is. The problem: I really knew nothing about the towns of CT, except some baseline knowledge of Cheshire. Oh, and I went to Mystic once to look at a wedding venue in the pouring rain. Though I didn’t know too much about the different areas, I knew what I DID want in my next chapter neighborhood: 

• Walkable, well-sidewalked area
• Shops, restaurants, and activities within walking distance
• Good school system 
• Not astronomically expensive 
• Convenient for both my parents and Matt’s parents (within an hour)
• Not fake NY (I am, and will continue to be,  a Boston sports fan)
• Houses with character (if I’m moving back to New England, this is a must)

Given all of those parameters, I sought out the expertise of a real estate agent. And guess what, he’s interviewing with me in this blog. But before we get to the interview, I have to mention how important it was, to me, to find an agent that

1) I trusted

2) is knowledgeable about the CT landscape and could advise me on areas that would meet my *very specific* criteria,

-and-

3) didn’t mind the fact that I was not local, during a pandemic. Which meant, a lot of hand holding and technological accumen.

Knowing this, my sister-in-law directed me to Erik Sousa of William Raevis. I did some research and really felt as though he satisfied my three critera. After an initial consultation, he immediately recommended West Hartford. He gave me a few “options,” but really impressed that West Hartford checked all my boxes. And it really does. I live less than (or equal to) a mile from the downtown area, filled with restaurants, shops, and so many things to do. I can walk to Whole Foods or Stop and Shop easily. There are parks (and kids) galore and I live on this super cute side street; you know, that New England cute you just can’t replicate anywhere else. 

Once we found a house that checked off most of my boxes, we moved quick. I used the stellar negotiating skills learned almost completely from my husband and my father in law. Remember, I wasn’t in a rush, so if sellers didn’t meet me where I valued the house, then it was on to the next one. Less than a month from when I originally had a 50/50 feeling about whether or not I wanted to move, I was under contract on our house. I’ve had a lot of people reach out, asking me about my home buying experience, especially during the pandemic, so I figured, why not bring in the expert. So, without further adieu, I bring you, my interview with Erik Sousa. 

Interview with Real Estate Agent, Erik Sousa of the Burgio-Sousa Group with William Raevis.

C: Before we get into the nitty gritty of this insane home buying year, tell my blog fam a little bit about yourself: 

E: Sure! Prior to getting into real estate, I served 20 years with the CT Department of Correction. During the 20 years, I also worked construction with my father, assisting him with his multiple rental units in Hartford Connecticut, eventually flipping homes with him. I originally got into real estate to avoid paying commission when we sold our flips, and then I fell in love with the business.

C: Very Flip or Flop (on the East Coast). I like it!  Now, there are a lot of real estate agents out there; for me, personally, I think it’s so important to find a real estate agent you connect with. In Baltimore, I had the BEST real estate agent. Shout out to Suzie Coronel at Crabby Homes (Baltimore-area friends, you would do yourselves a disservice by not having Suzie on your side). Now, Erik, what is your approach/philosophy when it comes to helping your clients buy  their home? What effect has the pandemic (if any) had on this approach? 

E: When it comes to helping my clients buy a home, I use the old school philosophy, “Treat others how you’d like to be treated.” I always make sure I return phone calls or text as soon as possible. I make sure that if I don’t know an answer, I get my clients one as soon as possible. My goal is to provide my clients with a stress-free and smooth real estate transaction. I also make sure they are fully educated on the home they are purchasing.  We accomplish this by knowing the history of the home, having a thorough home inspection, and if there are any new additions or upgrades,  ensuring that the proper permits were pulled and closed out. 

While my philosophy and personal responsibility to my client never changes, the pandemic has definitely changed “the how.”  Similar to your home buying experience, we’ve performed a lot more FaceTime and video showings. We conduct zoom meetings instead of in-person meetings. In order to keep the minimum number of people going in and out of houses, only the person purchasing the home can attend showings. Even at our home inspections and closings, universal precautions are being taken when entering a home like masks, gloves, footwear, etc. 

Even our own education has changed. We no longer can just walk into town halls to research properties, so any information we are seeking has to be requested through emails to the appropriate offices. 

C: It still baffles me that, despiste all of these changes and precautionary measures, the market is still so hot! Personally, I was quite nervous about doing this home search from hundreds of miles away. I definitely relied a lot on both you and my parents to help guide me on the pieces that aren’t visible on a video walkthrough or via my own research; which, brings me to my next question. What are the top  things you look for in a house when advising your clients? 

E: I always tell my buyers that they should evaluate the flow of the home, the room sizes, the closets, the exterior aesthetics,and the interior upgrades. Will these different aspects work for them? Meanwhile, I’m evaluating the big money items like roofs, siding, windows, boiler or furnace, AC unit, hot water tank, foundation, main supports, electrical panels, etc. I’m not a Home Inspector, but because of my construction background, I have the ability and experience to potentially save my clients a lot of time, energy and money, by providing them a quick overview of the home, so they can avoid spending between $500-$1000 on home inspections, only to find out that there are major issues with the home they’re interested in.

C: That is a huge asset. When I look at a home, I’m definitely looking at it from an aesthetics stand point and envisioning whether or not it works for us. Full disclosure: this is my second home buying experience in 2 years, so a lot of what I learned in my first home buying experience definitely helped. But I relied on your expertise on those “big ticket” areas. That said, What are some red flags all home buyers should be wary of when looking at homes?

There are a few “red flags” I like to bring up to my buyers. First, you should always be wary of obvious “do it yourself” (DIY) projects. An experienced agent should be able to distinguish between a bad DIY project and something that was professionally completed. Second, make sure that any “finished lower level” has the proper permits. Check the assessors card and the building department to find out if that finished lower level is legal. Honestly, you can’t be too careful with anything. If anything is missed during the buying process, it becomes the buyer’s issue when they go to sell. 

C: Being an out of state home buyer definitely presented challenges. What are some tips you give to out of state/relocation clients when searching for their next home and their next neighborhood? 

E: First, do your research on the real estate agent you choose to work with. Know their work history and time spent as a real estate agent. Some agents are serious, full time career agents and some are part-time hobby agents. It’s important to investigate their experience with the particular town of interest, and research how much business they do in that area. An experienced agent understands the importance of finding out what their clients needs are and what is most important in their clients property search. Is it location? A particular style of home? Walking distance to a town center? Size or particular upgrades? Communication is essential to a successful transaction. One amazing buyer bonus: the Internet provides a tremendous amount of information that wasn’t available just a short time ago. Buyers now have the ability to research school scores and walking scores; they can do a complete aerial search to make sure there isn’t an industrial park located too close to the interest area. They can research crime statistics and even check to see if their are any registered sex offenders living in the desired neighborhood. Do your research! 

C: So true. I will say, Matt and I conducted a very loose house search for at least a year before actually moving on our last house, and I was able to learn so much about different areas, neighborhoods, etc. It really helped us streamline our process once we really got Suzie involved. When selecting an “area” in CT, I had already performed my own research to narrow down potential locations and felt relatively comfortable with your suggestions because of that. So, as we move through the close of 2020, do you have any predictions for 2021? Do you predict  the migration out of cities will continue? 

E: Because of the combination of low housing inventory for the last few years, and low interest rates, 2020 started off extremely hot for sellers. When COVID-19 hit, many professionals were predicting a potential housing collapse or at least a housing market slow down. But after a month or two of evaluating what COVID-19 actually was, and adapting so we could sell houses during this crisis, the opposite actually happened. With sellers pulling their homes off the market or delaying putting their homes on the market, this only contributed to the already low inventory, which fueled this crazy market even more. Buyers were still out there waiting to buy and take advantage of the fantastic interest rates. This fueled more buyer demand, and for the desirable home, ensured multiple offers, usually at or above asking price. All of this made 2020 the hottest real estate market since 2007. I believe as long as interest rates remain low, we will see a continued robust real estate market in 2021. If COVID-19 can be managed,  more and more sellers will feel comfortable placing their homes on the market, and will want to take advantage of the pricing increases. Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors chief economist, is predicting a national housing pricing increase between 8-12 percent. Many sellers are going to want to take advantage of that sort of pricing increase. We did experience a large migration of New York buyers moving to Con necticut and/or purchasing second homes in Connecticut. I think that trend will continue, and for the savvy investor, it may be a good time to buy in those more densely populated areas.

C: It is crazy and interdependent on so many different aspects. Well, thank you so much Erik for taking the time to give us a little insight into #homebuying2020. Do you have any parting words would you like to give my blog readers regarding buying and/or selling their homes right now. 

E: Of course! If you are a seller, there is no better time than the present to list your home. We normally experience an August slow down due to last minute family vacations and getting ready for the school year. This year we did not experience much of an August slow down at all, and I’m predicting that we will experience a much busier real estate market during the holiday season, weather permitting of course in Connecticut. Because of the extremely low interest rates, buyers are finding they can afford homes at much higher price points than they could just a few years ago. The best advice I could give to both buyers and sellers is to align yourself with an experienced agent. Rely heavily on their advice for mortgage representatives, home inspectors, insurance reps, and closing attorneys. Good, experienced agents will only align themselves with the best in the business, because their reputation depends on it. Also do your own homework. Ask a lot of questions and take advice from people in your inner circle if they have had a good real estate experience. Social media is a tremendous resource when researching everything these days. There’s literally a Facebook page for everything. Ask for recommendations in community groups. It’s not too hard to figure out who is doing a ton of real estate business. Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster. If the real estate agent is getting tons of positive testimonials and reviews, both in writing and video, and they’re listing properties daily, as well as, closing on homes every other day, they’re  doing that amount of business for a good reason. It’s a tell-tale sign that real estate agent is reliable, experienced, responsive, and educated about the local real estate market.

Well there you have it friends; a little real estate education to round out your week. So, I mentioned I bought this house and haggled enough to get it at the price I wanted with enough room to embark on some home remodeling. And that is where we are today! I am super grateful to everyone helped me lug my life up from Maryland. Shout out to my brother in law and friends for dedicated there weekend time to help make this move up, seamless. And, of course, to my in-laws, parents, uncles, sister, and SIL/BIL(s) for all the help in making our new house, a home. Here are a few “before and “in progress” photos. I can’t wait to show you all of the “after” pictures once we’re complete (fingers crossed we’ll be in a good spot by next week!) 

A Home Remodeling In Action

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In the meantime, I’m adapting. I’d be lying if I said I’m not feeling a little anxious about this holiday season. Last year, The “most wonderful time of the year” was, quite literally, the worst period of my life. And the irony: I love the holiday season. Heck, we got married during the holiday season. I have so many wonderful, happy memories with Matt, my friends, and my family around this time of year. And yet, sometimes, it feels like all of that is marred by the reality of our holiday season last year. I do think this deserves a separate blog post (so be on the lookout) because it’s a very complicated, multi-faceted topic. As I mentioned in my Facebook post, I refuse to let cancer rob me of anything else. It would be a disservice to Matt; it would be unfair to Bryson. So, bring on the holly, folly, and merriment. I’ll pass on the Hallmark Christmas Movies this year.

Stay tuned as our adventure continues…

Until next time, 

Xtina