2020 Keeps on Giving

 

Hope you’re surviving the smoke that has wrapped the entire west coast in its unhealthy blanket for several days throwing yet another curve ball at us this year. It is somewhat scary how in just a matter of days we have gone from the expectation of fresh and healthy air to accepting unhealthy readings as good enough. Good enough to air the house a bit. Good enough to go on a walk. Good enough to live a little. This morning I opened all the windows for some not so fresh air as I have a compulsive need to air out the house, even if the air outside isn’t the best. I mean, I did wait several days until the application on my phone showed an AQI closer to 100. In past years, that is when we have closed all the windows, not opened them. But hey, this year is a bit different.

 

Even if our air quality has slightly improved for a moment, we all know the fires are still burning. The fires will be burning until we get enough rain to help contain them. As I’m typing this, entire towns have burned down, tens of thousands of people have had to evacuate their homes and at least ten people have died. My rant about air quality feels a bit out of place compared to the devastation of those who have experienced the fires firsthand. Nevertheless, entitled or not, the smoke plume is affecting everyone as it forces us to stay inside and business are once again closing their doors. We followed the directions to build our own air purifiers by using an air filter and a box fan and watched the filters turning from white to light gray and finally dark and murky.

 

With year 2020 the buyer approach has changed and in general buyers seem to be paying more attention to how they live rather than a short commute. The balance between where and how has shifted toward larger homes that fulfill the needs of working from home and going to school remotely. We have clients looking for homes that have two or three home offices and a room or two for homeschooling, entertaining and play.

 

I hope you’re staying sane. Enjoy this break that we have before the air quality turns into worse again.