Today’s News Synopsis:

As more states are reopening, sellers are still hesitating off to the side while buyers rush in.  Luxury buildings are now offering free COVID testing, masks, and gloves to their clients.  How can you still make your home look attractive to a potential buyer during this time?

In The News:

 

Forbes – “Free COVID Antibody Testing Joins Luxury Amenities As Buildings Accommodate Shelter-In-Place Orders” (5-11-2020)

“It used to be all about cocktail hours and fitness classes. But now luxury buildings are catering to their clients with coronavirus testing, free masks and gloves, plus a few virtual events with celebrities thrown in.”

Realtor.com – “When the Outside Matters More Than Ever: 6 Curb Appeal Tricks To Attract Buyers During Coronavirus” (5-11-2020)

“Curb appeal: It’s the make-or-break first impression of your home. It either beckons a second look or turns buyers off entirely.”

ATTOM Data Solutions – “Top 10 ZIPs Underwater and Equity Rich” (5-11-2020)

“According to ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q1 2020 U.S. Home, Equity and Underwater Report just released, 14.5 million residential properties in the U.S. were considered equity-rich in the first quarter of 2020.”

CNBC – “As states reopen, homebuyers rush back out, but sellers are staying on the sidelines” (5-11-2020)

“At a two-hour open house in Atlanta on Saturday, about  a dozen mostly masked families toured the six-bedroom, six-bathroom, newly built home priced at just over $3 million.”

HousingWire – “As more renters stay put, apartment retention breaks records, but revenue suffers” (5-11-2020)

“During the height of the pandemic in April, apartment retention in the U.S. hit a record high, as renters were unwilling or unable to relocate, according to RealPage.”

Apartment Therapy – “The Number One Thing a Financial Planner Says You Should Do If You Lost Your Job” (5-11-2020)

“It’s no secret that coronavirus has completely rocked the economy. Unemployment rates reached a historic level of 14.7 percent in April, with the service and hospitality industries being hit especially hard.”

MarketWatch – “Vacation real-estate markets are ‘toast’ because of the pandemic as Airbnb owners rush to offload their homes, Redfin CEO says” (5-11-2020)

“As the company reopens its iBuying division, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman sees opportunity for iBuyers in beach towns.”

Inman – “Earnings offer hope, but ‘normalcy’ is still distant” (5-11-2020)

“The pandemic may continue to wreak havoc for some time, but a strong quarter of earnings offers support to the idea that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”