Exactly a year ago, we were well underway on a major construction project at the house we were renovating when we received a shocking call from the construction company. While excavating the basement, the dirt holding up our foundation took in too much rainwater, and the entire right side of our foundation collapsed. Thank goodness no one was hurt, but our house was seemingly held up by toothpicks, with most of the construction crew getting ready to wrap up for Christmas vacation.
We knew the accident would challenge the timeline, budget, and design of the project we had been dreaming about and carefully planning for months, and the weeks ahead were filled with unknowns that forced us to let go of control, trust the team that supported us, and be patient.
This story, of a collapsing foundation when you least expect it, became something the whole world could relate to as our lives all changed in the coming months.
By early February, the crew had poured a new foundation that was stronger than ever before. We had reworked our design plans, and we could start envisioning life in the home. We asked Julie’s parents if we could stay with them “for a couple of weeks” at the beginning of March so that we could finish some bathroom renovations at our old house before putting it on the market, hopefully in early April, and we expected to move into the new home before Easter.
I know, the punch-line is obvious here (hindsight is 20/20, right?), and it’s okay to laugh at our timing! Two weeks after we settled into Julie’s parents’ house, COVID-19 landed, and the entire world shut down. Construction stopped at both our old house and our new house, and the state-mandated that we had to stop our work in real estate. The bathroom was torn out at our old house, so we had no option but to stay put...all while we adapted to virtual school with four kids, while living out of the basement in our parents’ home!
Again, it felt like the foundation of all of our plans had collapsed beneath us. There were so many unknowns, and our lives were held in place by the support of family, colleagues, and friends that rushed in to help brace us as we let go of control, and grew in trust and patience.
Fortunately, through leaning on each other, our family, and our partners throughout the community, we are emerging from this pandemic stronger than ever, and are deeply grateful for all that we have.
There are so many stories to tell from our adventures throughout this year, and we hope soon enough we can sit with you in a cozy coffee shop to hear your experience and share your own. Today we’re taking a look at two of the biggest moments for us in 2020: Responding to the pandemic while still working in real estate, and being our own agents while we sold our home.
Responding to COVID-19 in the Pittsburgh Real Estate Market
When COVID-19 first hit Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania as a whole, no one was sure exactly how it would impact the housing market.
When the real estate industry opened back up, Governor Wolf laid down a few different mandates, all of which we quickly adopted. Before long, all of our tours were equipped with gloves, Lysol wipes, booties, and masks!
But we didn’t stop there! We wanted to make sure that we could accommodate everyone, especially if the risk of COVID-19 prevented them from visiting homes.
Accommodating Our Buyers
Even when the state was fully shutdown during the stay at home order in April, we adapted by coordinating video tours where sellers guided us through their homes. We hung out on Zoom with buyers, and helped to guide them through totally-virtual tours.
For our buyers, we invested in new equipment—especially wide-angle lenses and stabilizers—to hold Zoom tours.
To keep these tours productive, we often over-shared details of the house, making sure the clients understood everything from the material in the kitchen countertops to the quality and feel of the towel racks in the bathroom.
These tours were great for folks who wanted to relocate from other towns, and many people took advantage of being able to get in-depth looks at other homes without leaving their living room couch. One client viewed 15 homes virtually before deciding on four to tour in-person.
New Tools for Sellers
For our sellers, we invested in 3D walkthrough equipment to develop detailed virtual tours of their homes. At a time when the market was moving quickly, 3D tours gave sellers another tool to grab buyer interest and field additional offers in a competitive field.
These tools have become so natural and convenient that we expect they will stay in our tool-kit long past the pandemic!
Becoming the Client: Selling Our Own Home
We pride ourselves on being empathetic toward our clients, making each of their pain points our pain points and each of their concerns our concerns. Selling our own home amplified our empathy to a whole new level!
We also are firm believers that the most important part of a successful listing is thoughtful, strategic planning…then sticking to the plan! Like many of our clients, we began planning nearly a year before we actually sold our house. We created a vision board to fine-tune the look and feel of our house, and outlined a detailed spreadsheet with the projects that would add the most value and help our house sell quickly.
We frequently reminded ourselves to follow our own advice. When I wanted to replace the cabinet pulls, Ted had to remind me of our firmly-set budget—and the importance of avoiding scope creep on a project like ours.
Even after we got back on track with renovations after the pandemic shut-down, we ran into surprises before listing, like a hot water heater that burst just weeks before we put the house on the market, covering our newly painted basement with water.
Finally, in June (the week of our 10th wedding anniversary!), our home was ready to stage and get in front of potential buyers.
Following our advice worked. After nearly a year of preparation (and many setbacks because of the pandemic), we sold our home at asking price in a single weekend!
Selling so quickly was a huge relief to us and the rest of the family because it finally meant we could devote our complete attention to finish renovating and moving into our new home.
Looking Ahead
One of the greatest gifts 2020 brought us is the perspective of just how lucky we are. We have *incredible* family, clients, and business partners that supported us through some of the biggest challenges we have weathered, and the continued momentum of the real estate market was a very lucky break when we needed it most. Even in the face of a pandemic, we had our best year in real estate, and our new tools and stronger partnerships prepare us for whatever the future brings.
As we look ahead to 2021, we first reflect on why we got into real estate years ago—to be present with our family, and to make our community the best place for our children to live. This year has certainly given us time for that!
We have big goals for 2021 that reach beyond production numbers and how many houses we will close. Our future goals focus on passing forward the incredible support we have to others by:
Helping people reach their goals to buy or sell homes, regardless of how big or small their dreams may be.
Restoring some of Pittsburgh’s abandoned houses to transform them into affordable, comfortable homes.
Helping people design and plan renovations on current or new homes to create spaces that help them to thrive.
Settling into our own home and enjoying the space we have created here.
Seeking adventure as a family, especially outdoors-- whether in our own backyard, or (safely) across the country.
Meeting new neighbors, and hearing their stories.
It seems fitting that “2020” has given us a clearer vision of what matters most and where we are going. We have shifted our perspective from seeing “gratitude” as a list of things that are going according to plan, and look instead at gratitude as the gift of seeing the good in whatever life throws at us. We will continue helping people find and create great places to live, because more than ever we believe when great people love the place they live, great things will happen.
Cheers,
Julie & Ted
PS — We have a happy ending to our basement story! We LOVE the way our basement turned out, and it is one of our favorite places to connect as a family.
