This flirtatious weather is about to leave in its wake a steady stream of weekenders, travelers and buyers. We're all dreaming about sunshine, swimming holes and upstate escapes. And we're absolutely gearing up for a big high season here in the Catskills.

Now could be a good time to sell. With a cautiously optimistic light at the end of the tunnel, real estate professionals are finding that buyer demand continues to boom. Maybe it’s the promise of sunnier and warmer days to come that ushers in the regular high season of April-October, or maybe it’s that this past year has triggered an honest assessment in buyers’ minds of what is truly valuable to them. Fresh air, headspace, family, entertaining, ownership, work life balance. Whatever the reason, the end result is that we’re still seeing a backlog of motivated buyers as we head into this high season.

Everyone is talking about the "new normal" these days, and real estate is no exception. This is an industry that relies on in-person interactions for nearly every step of the process. I’m very curious to see how this current pandemic will reshape industries, particularly ours. I'm already seeing key players adapt - home inspectors, lenders, attorneys and more. I’ve collected some of my notes on navigating the real estate market during this time.

When my buyers first set foot on this 14-acre lakefront property they instantly realized two things. First, it had to be theirs. Second, it needed a complete overhaul. The house had been vacant for years, but with busy jobs in the city and a baby on the way, they knew they needed help. This is where a local design couple, Anna Åberg and Tom Roberts, of Homestedt, got involved.