What A Year...

There isn't anything anyone can say about 2020 that hasn't already been said, and so I'm not going to even attempt coming up with something clever. We are all well-aware of what a collective nightmare this year has been. And with 2021 practically here, I think that if there's one thing in this very polarizing year we can all agree upon is that no one is going to miss 2020.

Good riddance.
Out with the old / in with the new.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Whatever way you want to phrase it, I know we'll all be celebrating when the calendar turns the page to Jan. 1, 2021.

This is always the time of year when I take a look back at the last 12 months. In doing so, I just noticed that I haven't posted on this blog since May. Yikes. 2020 has been a time warp...while each day feels exactly like the day before it, as if time is standing still, the year also kind of flew by, didn't it? At least that's the excuse I'm going with for not posting in, err, 7 months.

But the real reason is that once the shutdown ended in June, things got extremely busy in the real estate world. Everyone came out of quarantine wanting to move, it seemed. A lot of people packed up their city abodes and left for the suburbs in the search for more space to telework, a yard to get some fresh air in, and perhaps even a room in which to create a home gym (I know I'm not the only one who bought a Peloton this year -- am I right?).

This trend continued through the summer and fall, and is still happening now. As a result, prices in the suburbs have sharply climbed, spurred by some of the fiercest bidding wars I've ever seen -- fiercer, in fact, that some of the most brutal bidding wars to take place in the heart of the city over the last decade. Of course, this exodus to the burbs means that the city has taken a bit of a hit. There is a tremendous amount of condos (and even more rentals) available right now in every neighborhood in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville, and we've seen prices begin to dip down accordingly. It truly is a "Tale of Two Markets."

We will all be looking closely at what happens to the market in 2021 as the vaccine is rolled out to the general public and people start to feel comfortable returning to their offices and living in denser communities. Is the shift to the suburbs just a passing fad that will have people clamoring to move back into the city when all of this is over? Only time will tell on that. I suspect 2021 will continue to be a tougher market for sellers in the city than what they've been accustomed to and that things likely won't return to "normal" until 2022. This is welcome news to potential home buyers who are looking to get a good deal. 2021 could just be your year.

I'm so proud that despite all of the challenges 2020 threw our way, The Charpentier Team helped 52 people sell, buy or rent a home. Additionally, every single client this year was someone who I had helped in the past or was referred to me by a former client. I'm beyond grateful that my business has continued to grow and now operates solely on your referrals and repeat business. In case you aren't aware, every agent strives to get to this point in their career!

The images in this post are from my Instagram and the Year in Review story I post annually is always my favorite one to do. I love reminiscing and seeing the smiling faces of the people we served. Thank you all so much for your loyalty, trust and partnership. I hope 2021 is a better year for everyone and wish all of you a happy, healthy, peaceful New Year!

© Donna Charpentier