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The COVID pandemic hasn’t stopped people from buying houses. But it has changed how buyers view  homes, with technology sometimes replacing the in-person experience. To help keep everyone safer and comply with state and local guidance, agents are using virtual home showings, virtual home tours, and virtual staging instead of or along with open houses, in-person showings, and traditional staging. That means you can buy a home without setting foot inside it. But it also means you need to understand what you are seeing – and not seeing. And you need to know what questions to ask.   Here’s a look at the virtual options and some of the pluses and minuses of each:  Virtual 3D Home Tours — Good for a First Look With a virtual home tour, a seller’s agent looks to show off a property’s best features. This marketing presentation is what potential buyers see online at a real estate site. It may be a 3D tour or a gallery of retouched photos of staged rooms. Regardless of the format, it shows the p

HOME SALES EASE DURING COVID-19; VALUES UP 12.29% in APRIL Despite a pandemic-fueled wane in the sales of single-family existing homes, values in Maine increased double digits last month. According to Maine Listings, Realtors sold 194 fewer homes in April 2020 compared to April 2019, which is a decrease of 15.41%. The median sales price (MSP) jumped 12.29% to $235,800, comparing April 2020 to April 2019.  

A bleach solution or rubbing alcohol is your best bet for keeping your home sanitized. There’s everyday clean, guest clean, and then there’s COVID-19 clean. To get down the absolute nitty gritty on how to disinfect your home, you’ll want your big guns: bleach, rubbing alcohol, and hot water.   The Best Disinfectants For your high-touch surfaces, the Centers for Disease Control recommends a bleach solution diluted with water, or a 70% alcohol solution.  Follow this bleach recipe: 5 tablespoons (1/3 cup) bleach per gallon of water, or 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water.   Make sure to properly ventilate when disinfecting with bleach.  And check to see if your bleach has expired. Who knew it could? After about 9 months to a year, and if it smells less bleachy, it’s lost its disinfecting power. Time for a new jug.   Tip: Don’t mix bleach with anything other than water; otherwise, it could set off a dangerous chemical reaction. For instance, bleach + alcohol is a d

It’s a confusing time, but lenders are putting remedies, like forbearance, in place to help homeowners. Mortgage lenders, and the federal agencies that regulate lenders, are putting coronavirus mortgage relief measures in place to ensure homeowners have options if they’re unable to make payments. Your first stop in the face of financial hardship is your lender or bank. Just keep in mind lenders are working to figure out and implement the new mortgage relief polices outlined by the regulatory agencies. So you might read one thing from the FHFA, a federal regulator, but your bank might be doing something else. In addition, due to the number of homeowners affected by the pandemic, lenders are dealing with a crush of calls and online queries. Be patient, persistent, and prepared to spend time on hold.   Here are the resources you need: Your Mortgage Federally Backed Mortgages If you have a mortgage backed by Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veteran’s Admi

Technology and good-old-fashioned creativity are helping agents, buyers, and sellers abide by COVID-19 health and safety practices while getting deals done. Some buyers are touring houses virtually. Others visit in person while remaining at least six feet from their agent. Sellers are hosting open houses on Facebook Live. Appraisers are doing drive-by valuations. Buyers are watching inspections via video call. Masked and gloved notaries are getting signatures on doorsteps. We have had to make some adjustments,  to minimize face-to-face interactions. There have been some delays, but for the most part, deals are getting done. Here’s what home buying and selling during the pandemic looks like: Showings  Go Virtual The rules around in-person showings vary by city, county, and state. Some allow them and some ban them. Check with your state, county, and local government to get the latest on business closures and shut-down rules. Agents have conducted home tours via FaceTime a