Realtors in Connecticut have seen an increase in inquiries and offers from out-of-state buyers during the pandemic.
It is an unexpected upside of the coronavirus crisis - it appears more people are wanting to move to Connecticut from other states. Most of the new interest is from buyers from New York City, according to those in the real estate industry.
Realtors in the southwestern part of the state are finding a silver lining amid the pandemic.
"This hit us by surprise. Nobody - nobody thought this,” said Linda Skolnick, a realtor at Coldwell Banker in Westport. Skolnick said the last few weeks have been surprisingly busy with inquiries about rental properties and home sales.
"The biggest group is New York. But it's not just New York,” said Skolnick. “It's really everywhere."
Skolnick said she has been seeing interest in many
higher-end properties, including a home Sprucewood Lane in Westport listed for
$2.9 million. She also received an offer on a home on Birch Hill Road in
Weston, which was listed for $2.2 million.
"Connecticut will continue to be so important because we offer so much
that our surrounding communities don't, especially with our shoreline, with our
farms, with our wineries. There's just so much here - and top schools,” said
Skolnick.
"We were whining and crying about how our best year ever was dead, and now, it's not even touchable to anything in the last couple years,” Skolnick said.
The hope is the activity in Fairfield County spreads
statewide.
“We’re seeing Litchfield County all the way up
the shoreline, the activity level is picking up,” said Tammy Felenstein, vice
president of the Connecticut Association of Realtors.
“We’re going to be looking at very, very good numbers for the end of
second quarter and the beginning of third quarter,” said Felenstein. “We’re due
for this. We’re due for an influx.”
“The new famous realtor tagline is ‘can you see yourself quarantining here?’” Felenstein said. “It’s starting to feel like 2005 again. The activity level is very, very high.”
Local
Gov.
Ned Lamont said he has noticed the uptick in interest as well. He said he would
welcome any New Yorkers who may be thinking of moving to the state.
“People are realizing that telecommuting doesn’t mean you have to be in New
York City five days a week,” Gove. Lamont said in an interview with CNBC on
Friday. “It means that if you have to stay home for a period of time, having a
nice little backyard is not a bad way to do it,” he said.
