Foothills Sentry September 2020

Foothills Sentry September 2020 Page 19 Has COVID infected real estate? This month, I asked my good friend and branch manager of Coldwell Banker’s North Orange County offices David James Berg that question. He answered by comparing supply and demand in our current market, starting with demand. As we can all see, COVID-19 is not suppressing demand. The local housing market is hot, hot, hot! Housing demand is the high- est since 2012, and is pushing late into the season as a result of pent- up buyers holding back in March, April and May. The total number of escrows has ballooned year over year, and those escrows are closing as you read this. Current escrows are 21,508 in SoCal vs. 16,437 escrows at this time last year. Reports are now hinting that this current record-setting demand ap- pears to be leveling off, and will most likely continue right up to the holidays and then (tradition- ally) pull back just a bit. With regards to the supply of housing; if you are a seller, now is the time to sell. The expected market time is the lowest since 2012 -- at 35 days for SoCal (compared to 79 days last year). Orange County’s expected mar- ket time is 39 days vs. 86 last year, which in turn leads us to the big question: is COVID-19 still suppressing listings? Answer: There was a tremen- dous drop in people putting their homes on the market in March, April, May and June of this year. March was down 21 percent YOY (year over year) in listing inven- tory; April down 45 percent; May down 26 percent; June down 11 percent. Current levels have bounced back to normal, which is great, but the overall shortage of listings has squeezed the market. Just how big was the overall listing shortage created by COV- ID-19? The listing shrinkage was to the tune of 27,283 missing list- ings in SoCal (down 21 percent); 4,231 missing listings in Orange County (down 22 percent). In summary, COVID-19 did not effect demand. It is at record high levels. COVID-19 did effect supply; there is an overall short- age of listings. Now, mix in all-time record low rates, kids going to school virtually, and you’ve got the per- fect combination for a hot, hot, hot market, which I believe will push later into the season. Stay tuned to see how we’re doing in next month’s Foothills Sentry. Being resilient means hav- ing the guts, the means and the wherewithal to bounce back in the face of adversity and misfortune. They say diamonds are just rocks that stood up to a lot of pressure. White hot fire tests true gold. The analogies are endless, but all ring true to some degree. I can recallmany times through- out my life when hardships and stress were so overwhelming, that it felt like I couldn’t breathe. On one of those days, I was on an arborist consultation, assessing one of my client’s trees, when I noticed that one of them still had a stake strapped to it. The tree had grown well out of its need for the stake and ties and was having trouble rooting and establishing itself. Without thinking, I removed the ties and stake and replaced the single stake with one on ei- ther side of the tree, then loosely re-attached the ties. Almost im- mediately, the wind began to blow strongly, whipping the tree around, back and forth in between the stakes. My client came out, aghast! “What are you doing?” she yelled. “The poor tree can’t survive the winds like that, it’ll snap.” At this point, wind whipping my hair in all directions, like the scruff of a scarecrow, I realized that I was very much like this lit- tle sapling. You see, this sapling needed to be able to move about. It needed to be thrown around like a pinball in a maze of lights in order to build taper. Only once the false sense of security of the nursery stake was removed will the base of the tree grow in di- ameter and be able to support the full weight of the mature tree it will become. It is because of the whipping, swaying motion that the roots will venture out to estab- lish the tree. These same winds of adversity, challenging blockades and hazards are what will make Don’t tell Meya she’s too big to be a lap dog – she won’t believe you! Meya is a big cuddly bear and a great girl. She is seven years old, smart as a whip and knows commands such as sit, down, off, out and leave it. Since she loves treats, she has been easy to train. Meya loves to play fetch, walks well on a leash and is crate-trained, but if you let her, she would love to share your bed. Meya loves older kids, will hand out lots of kisses, and is happiest when she can be with her people. If you think you are Meya’s someone special for a foster or forever home, fill out an application at icaredogrescue.org or contact I.C.A.R.E. Dog Rescue at rescue@icaredogrescue.org. Looking for love CFO offers grant program The Community Foundation of Orange (CFO), through its Field of Valor, is seeking applicants for its Field of Valor Grants. These grants range from $500 to $5,000, and are awarded to eligible 501(c) (3) organizations that serve local veterans, active duty military and their families, and reservists. Over the past five years, the CFO has awarded over $137,000 to 20 local nonprofits. Grants are reviewed on an ongoing basis in October, January, April and July. To view the guidelines and apply for a Field of Valor grant, please visit communityfoundationofo- range.org or email Susie@com- munityfoundationoforange.org for more information. me a better version of myself. It was humanizing and enlightening that a tiny sapling could be my teacher for just a moment. The sapling has since grown into a fine specimen. Structural pruning has allowed it to branch out beautifully, and the Santa Ana winds are to it as the blow- ing power of a two-year-old is to a birthday candle.