COVID-19 and Ocean City Real Estate
COVID-19 has changed almost everything, around the world. It’s had a measurable effect on how we do business in Ocean City, New Jersey, too.
Sales uptick
As in other markets around the country, we’ve seen an uptick in sales on our island since the lockdown. We don’t have hard data to support it, but anecdotally we keep hearing the same story; since we can work from home, why stay in Philly or Cherry Hill or New York, when we can live at the beach?
Working from home is truly a game changer and gives buyers a lot more latitude on where they choose to invest. That seems to be what’s driving the real estate engine, all over the U.S.
Rentals in the pandemic
The rental landscape hasn’t changed much with the exception of seeing a few more cancellations this summer compared to previous years. What’s changed more dramatically is how Berger Realty provides customer service in an age of social distancing:
- We’ve added Plexiglas barriers in each of our offices.
- Our team members are very vigilant about wearing masks when helping clients in person.
- We started outdoor check-ins this summer to enable social distancing during the check-in process, with tables and umbrellas outside the office. This was very well received. Check out the video.
- We’re being extra careful with cleaning in the offices, handwashing and providing sanitizer.
We’ve heard it a million times since the pandemic got started, but safety really is the top priority. We’re doing everything we can to keep both employees and clients safe throughout the crisis.
Our customers appreciate these efforts and have gone out of their way to tell us so. Thanks for saying so, it means a lot.