CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — As home values have gone up in Southwest Florida within the last year, a local realtor says more people are taking advantage of buying a quality home even during the pandemic.
Charlotte County realtor Kari Wilbanks said after the initial shock of the COVID-19 outbreak, she’s seeing more people buy homes.
“I’d say we slowed down for maybe a week and a half to two weeks. Then all of a sudden, we started getting phones calls left and right. Everybody’s looking to move,” she said.
Lee County property appraiser estimated last year’s total housing value at more than $110 billion. It hasn’t been that high since before the 2008 recession.
But, Wilbanks hasn’t had all wins during the pandemic. Some clients, she said, even had to back out because of losing their jobs.
“I actually had a house that went under contract in Arcadia, back in March, and unfortunately the customers had to withdraw from the contract,” said Wilbanks.
She added that hasn’t happened much. Lenders have gotten much stricter because of the pandemic, specifically when it comes to credit scores.
“One thing I have noticed especially with the COVID, is that we used to be able to rock and roll with a 580, and most lenders are looking for at least a 620 credit score," she said.
Wilbanks said she doesn’t see home sales slowing anytime soon.
