With much of the country mostly staying home, it's not your typical spring homebuying season. 
You might think social distancing has made it difficult to meet with lenders, view properties and sign paperwork, but fortunately that's not the case. 

In fact, prospective buyers and sellers continue to move forward with their housing needs and doing so with safety in mind.

While the process may look a little different, modern technology is making it possible and, in some ways, more convenient.

So how does it work?
​

• Virtual Open Houses and Showings: Facebook Live, FaceTime and Zoom are all being used to show properties. And many listings include a prerecorded tour of the home.
  
  
• 3D Floor Plans and Interactive Walk-Throughs: Online tools make it easy to create interactive 3D walk-throughs and even allow for decor and furniture placement to give buyers a more lifelike feel of the space.
  
  
• Electronic Signatures and Deed Filings: E-signing technology means there’s no need to meet in person to sign offers, contracts or any other paperwork needed in the process. 
  
  
• Desktop and Drive-By Appraisals: If sellers are hesitant to have an appraiser visit their property in person, desktop and drive-by appraisals are a good alternative. These use city data, prior appraisals and comparable sales information to assess a home’s value. Homeowners can video chat with the appraiser to show them the interior and exterior elements of the property.

The way we buy and sell homes may have changed for now, but it’s still an active and essential market. If you have any questions about making a move, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

​It’s easy to focus on what you can’t do while you’re stuck at home these days. But here’s something you can do: Show thanks to the essential workers in your life. 

Health care professionals, grocery store employees, first responders, mail carriers and many others are still going to work every day. They’re risking their health to help our community.

We might not be able to spend time together in person, but we can still be there for our friends and neighbors.

So how can you show your appreciation? Consider sending one of these gifts.
​

• Gift Cards: Essential workers might not have as much time to cook for themselves, so give them gift cards to local restaurants or food delivery services.
  
  
• Entertainment: They could probably use an escape now more than ever. Help them take a mental break with a streaming subscription, a book or a preloaded e-reader.
  
  
• Home Essentials: Your favorite frontline workers are also braving the grocery store for the basics. Gift them a healthy stash of hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and other must-haves to save them a trip.
  
  
• Self-Care Items: Everyone deserves a few minutes to relax each day, no matter how busy work might be. Help local essential workers take a load off with soothing soaps, lotions and bath bombs.
  
  
• Thank-You Note: Sometimes the best gifts are the simple ones. You can leave a handwritten thank-you card, send a friendly text message or write a thoughtful email.

Remember: We’re all in this together, and supporting each other is important during these uncertain times. For more ideas on celebrating the amazing people in our community, get in touch today.

​The Office of Inspector General is alerting the public about potential fraud schemes related to economic stimulus programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Fraudsters have already begun targeting small business owners. Be on the lookout for grant fraud, loan fraud, and phishing.

​Grants:
SBA does not initiate contact on either 7a or Disaster loans or grants. If you are proactively contacted by someone claiming to be from the SBA, suspect fraud.

Loans:

• If you are contacted by someone promising to get approval of an SBA loan, but requires any payment up front or offers a high interest bridge loan in the interim, suspect fraud.
  
• SBA limits the fees a broker can charge a borrower to 3% for loans $50,000 or less and 2% for loans $50,000 to $1,000,000 with an additional ¼% on amounts over $1,000,000. Any attempt to charge more than these fees is inappropriate.
  
• If you have a question about getting an SBA disaster loan, call 800-659-2955 or send an email to [email protected].
  
• If you have questions about other SBA lending products, call SBA’s Answer Desk at 800-827- 5722 or send an email to [email protected].
  

Phishing:

• Look out for phishing attacks/scams utilizing the SBA logo. These may be attempts to obtain your personally identifiable information (PII), to obtain personal banking access, or to install ransomware/malware on your computer.
  
• If you are in the process of applying for an SBA loan and receive email correspondence asking for PII, ensure that the referenced application number is consistent with the actual application number.
  
• Any email communication from SBA will come from accounts ending with sba.gov.
  
• The presence of an SBA logo on a webpage does not guaranty the information is accurate or endorsed by SBA. Please cross-reference any information you receive with information available at www.sba.gov.

Report any suspected fraud to OIG’s Hotline at 800-767-0385 or online at: https://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/oversight-advocacy/office-inspector-general/office-inspectorgeneral-hotline

But tracking the possible spread of COVID-19 will require resources, sensitivity and an openness to new ideas and technology.

By Civil Beat Editorial Board  / April 25, 2020

Imagine this: A person with COVID-19 attends a party. If patient zero infects three other people, it could — because it is more contagious than seasonal flu — lead to 12 cases total.

“If that scenario plays out just 10 times, the first case will have led to more than 59,000,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.) wrote in a proposal released Wednesday.

The lawmakers, worried about the lack of a coordinated national effort on contact tracing, are proposing a “coronavirus containment corps” to assist state and local health departments with tracing potential coronavirus victims.
​
As NBC News reports, Warren and Levin represent states that have among the highest number of cases. Warren, the former presidential candidate, lost her oldest brother to the disease on Tuesday.

With much of the country mostly staying home, it's not your typical spring homebuying season. 

You might think social distancing has made it difficult to meet with lenders, view properties and sign paperwork, but fortunately that's not the case. 

In fact, prospective buyers and sellers continue to move forward with their housing needs and doing so with safety in mind.

While the process may look a little different, modern technology is making it possible and, in some ways, more convenient.
​
So how does it work?

• Virtual Open Houses and Showings: Facebook Live, FaceTime and Zoom are all being used to show properties. And many listings include a prerecorded tour of the home.
  
  
• 3D Floor Plans and Interactive Walk-Throughs: Online tools make it easy to create interactive 3D walk-throughs and even allow for decor and furniture placement to give buyers a more lifelike feel of the space.
  
  
• Electronic Signatures and Deed Filings: E-signing technology means there’s no need to meet in person to sign offers, contracts or any other paperwork needed in the process. 
  
  
• Desktop and Drive-By Appraisals: If sellers are hesitant to have an appraiser visit their property in person, desktop and drive-by appraisals are a good alternative. These use city data, prior appraisals and comparable sales information to assess a home’s value. Homeowners can video chat with the appraiser to show them the interior and exterior elements of the property.

The way we buy and sell homes may have changed for now, but it’s still an active and essential market. If you have any questions about making a move, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.