Selling Your Home During COVID-19

Selling a home is a move people generally plan years in advance, and 2020 was no different. For many homeowners, the hot real estate market of spring and summer of 2020 was going to be the season they put their homes up for sale. And then came the coronavirus — and the world turned upside down. With people struggling just to get by financially, and health and safety paramount, selling a home seemed like a dream from another lifetime. Records of home sales in the U.S. from the beginning of the outbreak reflect these feelings, with a sharp decline of 21% in total homes sold in March, and another decrease of 17.8% in April, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) .

Now, though, the U.S. real estate market is looking very different. As the economy limps toward a recovery, many buyers are searching for a new place to call home and the housing market is thriving. In fact, national home sales climbed a record 20.7 percent in June compared with home sales from a year ago, global pandemic notwithstanding.

Despite the flourishing housing market, many homeowners who have planned to sell their homes this year are still reluctant to take that leap. And it is no wonder, with restrictions still in place and so much uncertainty still surrounding the economy.

If you have been thinking of selling your home, you still can. Here’s all you need to know about selling your house during the COVID-19 crisis.

Are you really ready to sell?

Before putting your home on the market, it’s important to consider all the variables involved in this step and be sure it’s a financially responsible move. With the pandemic causing a slowdown of the economy and a likely recession, life circumstances you may have relied on, such as a steady job and salary, may not be dependable anymore. Before calling a real estate agent, it’s a good idea to review all the relevant numbers to be sure that selling your home now is in your best interest.

Stage your home to sell

Anyone selling their home knows they need to showcase it in the best possible light, and never has this been truer than now. With restrictions still in place in many states and lots of people stuck home in quarantine, many buyers will be doing their touring virtually. For sellers, this means that staging and photographing a home well is more important than ever.

Here are some general tips to follow when staging and photographing your home, as shared by Buddy Mountcastle, a real estate photographer based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.:

Clean up the outside. Curb appeal is the first selling point for any home. Make sure there are no weeds, overgrown grass or kids’ toys ruining the first impression of your home.
Let the sunshine in. Aim to shoot mid-day. Scrub your windows clean, open the curtains and let the natural sunshine brighten up every room.
Undo the lived-in look. Remove all personal effects from your home before going camera-crazy. This includes stray shoes, family photos, piles of magazines, small kitchen appliances and more.
Shoot from the right spot. When capturing a room on camera, try to get as much of the space in the frame. Aim to include three walls, which can mean shooting from the corner or doorway. It’s also important to shoot straight and from chest height so as not to distort the room.

To make it easier for buyers to view your home, you can post a virtual tour on your online listing, and offer the option of scheduling a live tour with an agent through FaceTime or Zoom.

Play it safe

If you will be allowing potential buyers into your home, don’t forget to play it safe. Set up a box of disposable masks, shoe covers and sanitizing wipes at the door for all visitors who will be tramping through your home. If you will be hosting an open house, it’s best to allow a limited number of people inside at a time to make social distancing possible.

Price it right

Fewer homeowners are putting their houses up for sale this year, but the pool of buyers is also smaller than usual. This means you won’t be able to jack up the price of your home for way more than it’s worth. Work with an agent to look at comparable home sales in the area and to determine a fair asking price. Also, as always, list a selling price a bit higher than your actual desired price to allow for negotiations.

Closing during COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic will likely affect every aspect of selling your home, up until the closing. With many workers in the home-selling industry, from professional home inspectors, to mortgage lenders, to movers working with a smaller team now, be prepared for various steps of the home-selling process to be delayed. It’s best to be patient and to anticipate that things may take longer than usual. This is especially true with lenders, as low mortgage rates are triggering a spike in refinance applications across the country and lenders are busier than ever.

COVID-19 has wrecked all sorts of plans, but selling your home does not have to be one of them. With some adjustments and altered expectations, you can successfully sell your home during the coronavirus pandemic.

Your Turn: Are you looking to sell your home? Tell us about it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. @FreedomFedCU

What Makes This Recession Different

Unless you’ve been living in a bunker for the last several months, you’ve likely caught the term “recession” thrown around on the news more than once. Hearing this word being used to describe the state of the U.S. economy can trigger a range of reactions from mild anxiety to a full-blown stuffing-money-under-the-mattress panic.

For many people, though, part of their angst surrounding the state of the economy is the vast amount of unknown: What is the exact definition of a recession? How is it different from a depression? How long do recessions usually last? What causes a recession?

So many questions — but we’ve got answers! Here’s all you need to know about recessions, the current state of the U.S. economy and what all of this means to you as a private consumer.

What is a recession?

A recession is a widespread economic decline in a designated region that lasts for several months or longer. In a recession, the gross domestic product (GDP), or the total value of all goods and services produced in the region, decreases for two consecutive quarters. A healthy economy is continually expanding, so a contracting GDP suggests that problems are brewing within the economy. In most recessions, the GDP growth will slow for several quarters before it turns negative.

What’s the difference between a recession and a depression?

A depression has criteria similar to that of a recession, but is much more severe. For example, in both a recession and a depression the unemployment rate rises; however, during the Great Recession of 2008, the worst recession in U.S. history to date, unemployment peaked at 10%, while during the Great Depression, unemployment levels soared to 25%. Similarly, during the Great Recession, the GDP contracted by 4.2%, while during the Great Depression it shrank by 30%.

Depressions also last a lot longer than recessions. The Great Depression officially lasted for four years but continued to impact the economy for more than a decade. In contrast, recessions generally last only 11 months, according to data from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

There have been 47 recessions in U.S. history, and a total of 13 recessions since the Great Depression. There has only been a single recorded depression in our country’s history.

What causes a recession?

A recession can be triggered by a variety of factors:

A sudden economic shock that causes severe financial damage.
Excessive debt carried by consumers and businesses, leading to debt defaults and bankruptcies.
Asset bubbles, or when investors’ make irrational decisions, overbuy stocks and then rush to sell, causing a market crash.
Excessive inflation and rising interest rates, which triggers a decline in economic activity.
Excessive deflation, which sparks a decrease in wages, further depressing prices.
Technological changes, including outsourcing jobs to machines or other technological breakthroughs that alter the way entire industries operate.

Why the COVID-19 recession is unlike any other?

In June 2020, the NBER announced that the U.S. economy had been in recession since February.

The COVID-19 recession, also known as the coronavirus recession, the Great Shutdown, the Great Lockdown or the Coronavirus Crash, is unique because it was sparked by an unforeseen pandemic and not by any inherent problem within the economy.

Another anomaly of the coronavirus recession is the super-healthy state of the economy before it hit. In February, unemployment levels were at a 50-year low, stock markets were at a record high and the U.S. economy had enjoyed 126 months of growth, its longest period of uninterrupted expansion in history.

The unusual triggers and the explosive start of the current recession may be good news for its eventual end. Economists initially were hopeful that the recession could reverse itself quickly with a V-shaped recovery. Unfortunately, due to prolonged lockdowns and the nationwide failure to keep infection rates down, they have since declared that a rapid rebound is unlikely. There is still hope for a relatively fast recovery. An April Reuters poll found that nearly half of 45 economists believed the U.S. recovery would be U-shaped: slower and more gradual than a V-shaped recovery, but still fairly quick.

How will this recession affect me?

The coronavirus recession can impact the average consumer in multiple ways.

First, many are struggling with sudden unemployment or will be facing joblessness in the coming months. The most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the unemployment rate at a staggering 10.2%.

Second, the economic uncertainty has triggered record-low interest rates, which in turn sparked a rush to refinance. If you are currently paying high interest rates on a long-term loan, you may want to consider refinancing and enjoying a lower monthly payment.

Finally, investments in stocks, bonds and real estate may lose value during a recession.

The good news is there’s no need to start stuffing money under your mattress. As a member of Freedom FCU, your funds are always safe. [Freedom FCU is federally insured up to $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration] and independently insured up to [$250,000 by NCUA]. If you are experiencing financial difficulties of any kind, feel free to reach out to us at or to drop us a line at to see how we can help.

Your Turn: What do you think will be most impacted by the coronavirus recession? Share your thoughts with us on Facebook.

Freedom Federal Credit Union Donates Face Masks and Thermometers to Harford County Public Schools

August 11, 2020

^{Harford County Public School (HCPS) and Freedom Federal Credit Union leadership and staff representatives gather on the steps of HCPS Headquarters to showcase the new masks that will be distributed to HCPS employees across the school system.}
^{Seated (Left to Right): HCPS Transportation Coordinator Tina Hockaday, representing HCPS support staff, and Halls Cross Roads Elementary School Teacher Laura S. Pohlenz, representing HCPS teachers.}
^{Standing Left from Freedom Federal Credit Union (Front to Back): President and CEO Michael MacPherson, Business Development Director Lisa Snodgrass, and Senior Vice President of Marketing Carmen Mirabile.}
^{Standing Right from Harford County Public Schools (Front to Back): Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Jean Mantegna, and Chief of Administration Eric Davis.}

Freedom Federal Credit Union, in partnership with Harford County Public Schools (HCPS), is providing all teachers and support staff with protective, reusable face masks for the upcoming school year. Six thousand masks will be distributed to all teachers, office workers, food service staff, facilities staff, transportation staff, teacher substitutes, and new hires.

Additionally, 30 infrared no-contact thermometers have been donated by Freedom for use in all HCPS school buildings and offices to supplement similar thermometers already available in each school’s health suite. The $26,000 contribution to purchase the masks and thermometers is intended to show appreciation for every HCPS employee’s contribution and dedication, and to provide critical protective equipment to help support HCPS protocols to keep all HCPS employees safe and healthy during the upcoming year.

Freedom Federal Credit Union was originally slated to sponsor the HCPS Annual Employee Service Recognition Program and Awards Dinner, which they have sponsored since 2013. The program recognized hundreds of employees annually who had reached 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 years of service milestones. Due to the statewide closure of schools, and social function restrictions, the 2020 recognition program was cancelled. Freedom, working closely with school administrators, believed that the face masks would be a great way to show appreciation for all HCPS staff- both in and out of the classroom.

Prior to the decision on whether or not the upcoming school year would resume in person or virtually, both Freedom and HCPS administration recognized that many hundreds of staff members will continue to be required to report in person either regularly or periodically, and that all staff, including those working remotely, would continue to need face coverings for use in any public setting.

“In the best of times, we have always made it a priority to show our teachers that we care about their well-being and appreciate their dedication to the children in our community,” stated President and CEO of Freedom Federal Credit Union, Mike MacPherson. “In what now feels like the worst of times, we know that the pressures our educators, and all those who support our education system, face, will be great, and we hope this sponsorship will show our appreciation for all they do while supporting their health and safety.”

Invited to represent HCPS teachers in a photograph showcasing the new masks, Laura S. Pohlenz, a vocal music teacher at Halls Cross Roads Elementary School, recently completed her 30th year teaching for HCPS. Ms. Pohlenz expressed, “I am happy to represent teachers in this partnership with Freedom Federal Credit Union, and would like to personally thank them for this generous gift of face masks to the school system, in an effort to ensure the safety for our students and staff during this time.”

Representing HCPS support staff in this partnership, Transportation Coordinator, Tina Hockaday, who has been with HCPS for 14 years, remarked, “We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Freedom Federal Credit Union. Thank you for thinking of the safety of our students and staff.”
In the July 29, 2020 Superintendent’s Bulletin, Dr. Sean Bulson, acknowledged the contribution. “This year, FFCU has chosen to recognize all employees of HCPS by donating a protective face mask for every employee. By means of this generous contribution, they would like to honor and show their appreciation for the work done by every HCPS employee as we continue to educate the students of HCPS, while maintaining a safe and protected environment for staff and students. We hope that you will join us in expressing our appreciation to Freedom Federal Credit Union for this generous contribution!”

About Freedom Federal Credit Union

Freedom Federal Credit Union is a community-chartered federal credit union offering consumer financial services to those who live, work, volunteer, worship, attend school, or have family in Harford and Baltimore Counties. Additionally, Freedom offers a full-line of banking services for all businesses, associations, and other organizations that are based in Harford and Baltimore Counties. To learn more, visit freedomfcu.org.

About Harford County Public Schools

The mission of Harford County Public Schools is that each student will attain academic and personal success in a safe and caring environment that honors the diversity of our students and staff. The vision of the Board of Education of Harford County is to inspire and prepare each student to achieve success in college and career.