It’s hard to believe we are heading into mid-July and just three short months ago, real estate was on “stand-by” due to the state of Michigan’s “stay at home” order as part of the Covid-19 pandemic response. It was a strange time for all of us. We learned about ZOOM very quickly to communicate, were home-schooling our children while trying to keep our spirits up and wondering what our year will look like in the real estate market. Fast forward to July, and we have seen a boom in real estate in northern Michigan of magnitude proportions. As soon as some of the restrictions were lifted in our part of the state, the inquiries came rolling in – mostly from many who wanted out of the larger cities and were looking for a safer environment, with smaller populations and fresher air, recreational lakes and a simpler lifestyle. The trend, because of this outbreak, seems to be trying to escape the metropolitan life, and find a place with room to roam.
As June approached, and the warmer weather was setting in, a slight increase one week, led to calls and emails and texts the next…and the offers and purchase agreements started rolling in. Each day, there were 2 or 3 more. The increase in demand was steady and by July, our Sales Agents had some of the busiest days they have had in many years. The situation in the country shed light on the fact to many that working from home might just be the “new normal”, leaving the hustle and bustle and the high-rise city office life in the rear view mirror.
We have all heard before that northern Michigan is the place to be. We have many “seasonal” residents here with their summer homes and cottages dotted along miles of inland lakes and our beautiful Little Traverse Bay. The population literally triples during mid-June to mid-August. The resort towns become a popular destination for the summer folks and visitors alike, and they all fall in love with it. They all pick up the real estate magazines and flip through them dreaming of finding that sweet summer home to bring extended family up to – to splash in the water, have large bonfires, play cards and watch the glorious sunsets.
So our team in March at our first ZOOM meeting to our team today? It’s like the flood gates have opened. We don’t really believe there is much end in sight, and the remainder of 2020 for real estate in northern Michigan looks very optimistic, and our team is excited to assist in any way they can.