Every which way you turn, everyone in every industry has COVID-19 on the brain – and rightfully so. States, cities, and companies are issuing statements about how they are handling everyday needs during the Coronavirus outbreak.
As a proud member of the real estate industry, First Team is here to help homeowners, real estate agents, and those in the industry stay informed about the best way to navigate these unprecedented times. Real estate has been deemed an essential business by the state of California, and below are the tools necessary to overcome the obstacles that COVID-19 may have put in your path.
We’ll be updating this list, so continue to check back. And if you have information to share with the community, email us at marketing@firstteam.com.
Mortgage Relief Available for Homeowners:
Homeowners who have a mortgage backed by the federal government have a variety of relief available in the event of financial hardship.
Borrowers of “federally-backed mortgage loans” experiencing financial hardship due, directly or indirectly, to the COVID-19 emergency can request a loan forbearance on their payments (regardless of loan status and without penalties, fees, or interest) for at least 180 days (with a potential additional 180-day extension).
Wondering if your home loan is owned by federal government agency Freddie Mac? Use this tool to find out: ww3.freddiemac.com/loanlookup
Multi-family borrowers with a loan that was current as of February 1, 2020, may request a similar forbearance for up to 30 days, with two additional 30-day extensions.
During the forbearance period, no fees, penalties or interest may accrue on the borrower’s account, beyond the amounts scheduled or calculated as if the borrower made all contractual payments on time and in full under the terms of the mortgage contract. Application for the forbearance is made by submitting a request to the borrower’s servicer and affirming financial hardship due to COVID-19.
If you are facing difficulties in making your payments but your loan is not federally backed, call your mortgage servicer to find out if they are providing any aid at this time. If you are unsure of who to call, look at the last statement you received and call the customer service number listed on that document.
Agent, Contractor, and Other Small Business Resources:
There are forgivable SBA loans available for independent contractors, and unemployment insurance that will now be extended to independent contractors. Important information and updates are available from the state and California Association of REALTORS for how these resources affect real estate agents and others in the industry specifically.
CAR has created a COVID-19 disclosure that is available for anyone involved in a home purchase or sale. The disclosure protects the best interests of all parties under the new operating procedures during the epidemic. First Team Real Estate agents have a company version to provide to buyers and sellers as well.
The federal government is providing significant relief for small businesses – including real estate agents – suffering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about eligibility specifically as a real estate agent: www.carcovidupdates.org/relief-faq-for-agents.
For more information on Disaster Loan Assistance from SBA, for businesses, private non-profits, homeowners, and renters visit covid19relief.sba.gov.
Independent Contractors will be able to apply for Unemployment the EDD is working on implementation procedures. Check here for the California Unemployment Insurance Program for general information about the program: edd.ca.gov/Unemployment
For more resources on buying and selling your home during the COVID-19 epidemic in California, reach out to a local First Team Real Estate agent.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace KeisterGrace Keister is the Digital Engagement Strategist and website content manager for First Team Real Estate. Graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in English and Sociology, Grace is a native Southern Californian. In her 6 years with the company, her role has grown from blog creation to social media management, digital agent support, and more.
All of a sudden, Houseparty is everywhere. The video-chatting app, which makes it easy for as many as eight people to share a virtual hang, has been around since 2016, but for obvious reasons, it has surged in popularity this month: Today, Houseparty is the iOS Store’s fifth most downloaded free app in the United States. (It has already hit #1 in the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain.) If you don’t have it already, chances are good that someone you know will invite you to join it soon.
So what’s the appeal of Houseparty, and what are the potential downsides? As its name suggests, the app is basically a virtual version of a massive get-together. If your friends are “in the house,” you can chat them up one on one—or you can gather a group in a room to talk or play games, either locking that room’s door or leaving it open for new people to walk in and join you. Here is what you need to know.
1. Instant video chat with friends
The benefit: Houseparty draws on your personal contact lists (from your phone as well as from Facebook and Snapchat) to help you create a network of friends on the app. The app then tells you who is using it and who has used it recently. If one of your friends is on at the same time as you, hit the “join” button next to their name to be connected to them right away. The drawback: Because friends can start conversations without any notice, make sure you’re ready to be seen when you’re using the app: You could be zapped into a conversation at any time. If you have a lot of contacts, you may want to be selective about which ones you put on your friend list; you could limit it, for example, to people you really wouldn’t mind seeing anytime. (Also, allowing any app to access your contacts raises privacy concerns—but Forbes’s cybersecurity reporter finds no major red flags, and offers some tips on how to minimize your risk.)
2. Spontaneous group hangouts
The benefit: Houseparty allows groups of up to eight people to chat at once. But compared with other apps like Zoom, it has a casual, spur-of-the-moment vibe. You don’t need to plan anything in advance or send anyone an invitation; you can instantly join any open group that contains at least one person you’re friends with. That makes it a good way to expand your social circle, like going to a real-life party with one friend you know. The drawback: You may not want people you don’t know butting into your chat time with friends. To control that, you can use the lock button at the bottom of the screen to close the group off. And if your kids are using the app—or if you’re a kid yourself—be mindful of the stranger danger that can come with meeting a bunch of new folks online.
3. Notifications when friends are on
The benefit: If a friend you want to talk to isn’t using the app at the moment, you can hit the hand-wave icon next to their name to let them know you’re around; they’ll get a notification on their phone and have the option to join you or not. The app also sends you notifications by itself to let you know when contacts of yours have joined the app or when friends of yours are using it. The drawback: If you have a lot of friends and/or contacts, you’ll be getting a lot of notifications about them. To manage this, hit the smiley-face icon on the upper left of the main screen. That will give you the option to turn off notifications completely or to mute them for individual friends. And if you’re not necessarily in the mood to chat but just want to see who’s around, you can use the app without anyone knowing by pressing the app’s icon on your phone a little longer than usual and hitting the “Sneak Into the House” option.
4. Games with friends
The benefit: One of the Houseparty features that users enjoy most is the availability of simple games to play during chat sessions. When you click on the dice on the upper right if your screen, you there are four options: a trivia challenge and games that are essentially versions of Pictionary, Heads Up! and Apples to Apples. (The Pictionary one is the most fun.) If you’re looking to pass a little time with your buddies, these can be a major plus. The drawback: The games themselves are not as well developed as they could be; after a few rounds, you’ll be getting an annoyingly large number of repeat questions and clues. Given the app’s new popularity, we hope that its developers will expand on this aspect of the experience soon, since it is one of the app’s major draws. (In the Heads Up! game, at least, you can add fresh categories for 99 cents a pop.)
5. Easy recording
The benefit: If someone you want to chat with doesn’t happen to be around, Houseparty makes it simple to record and send them a brief video message—and get a notification when they read it. Also, the app makes it easy to record your chat sessions by hitting the ellipsis on the bottom left of the screen. The drawback: Houseparty doesn’t tell you if someone else is recording your conversation, so be careful if you’re chatting with someone you don’t trust—which is good advice under any circumstances, really.
To take full advantage of Houseparty, you’ll need to use a phone or tablet. A desktop version exists, but it lacks most of the features that make the app worthwhile.
A growing number of cities across Orange County have adopted temporary bans on evictions due to the economic fallout of the state’s stay at home order — which shut down large swaths of the economy — to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Anaheim and Costa Mesa on Tuesday temporarily banned evictions to help provide some relief to residents and businesses economically suffering from the stay home order.
Instead of forcing landlords to comply through an ordinance, Irvine adopted a resolution urging landlords to voluntarily halt evictions during the state-mandated stay home order to combat the pandemic.
Garden Grove adopted a state of emergency resolution and a portion of it mirrors Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration that allows cities to adopt eviction bans. However, the city didn’t adopt an ordinance explicitly banning evictions stemming from virus-related economic hardship.
Tuesday’s votes by the three city councils comes on the heels of Santa Ana’s eviction moratorium last week — the first in OC.
Gov. Newsom’s indefinite stay at home order issued last week put many people out of work across the state because it closed down “non-essential” businesses like bars, nightclubs, gyms, concert venues, hotels and scores of service industry businesses.
Unemployment claims hit an average of 106,000 a day for the past week, said Newsom at a Monday news conference, according to SFGate.
Residents and businesses in Anaheim and Costa Mesa will have to provide basic documentation to their landlords showing state-mandated business closures hampered their rent payments before rent is due.
Anaheim’s Eviction Moratorium
Anaheim residents and businesses will have eviction protections until at least May 31 after a series of amendments to the original ban, including specifically adding nonprofit businesses to the list.
Despite philosophical and political differences on the Anaheim City Council, Tuesday marked a rare moment when Councilmembers unanimously adopted an emergency ordinance barring evictions, making it effective immediately.
“In my core philosophy I’m a property rights guy,” Mayor Harry Sidhu said. “But this situation we are dealing with is unprecedented … We need to stop evictions for residents who are, during the crisis, struggling to pay the rent.”
Sidhu, who brought the eviction ban to the council, extended the original repayment time from three months to four months. The ordinance also forbids penalties and fees for back rent payments.
Although the ban was originally going to expire April 30, Councilman Jose Moreno got unanimous support to extend the sunset to May 31. And he unsuccessfully tried to extend the rent repayment period from four months to six months to lessen the monthly back rent burden of residents and businesses.
“The intent here is to protect residents today, but we also want to be thinking ahead,” Moreno told his Council colleagues.
The Census Bureau considers a four-person family in poverty if the household makes just under $26,000 a year. A single person is considered in poverty if they make $13,300 or less yearly.
Councilman Trevor O’Neil raised issues about the impact to property owners, many of whom aren’t big corporations that have large financial portfolios to fall back on, but individuals who own a property or two, he said.
“I do agree that stabilizing the rental markets is critical,” O’Neil said. “I do though have concerns about the impact of breaking a link in the chain where a property owner … still has financial obligations that have to be met.”
He said those obligations include other jobs, like groundskeepers, landscapers and maintenance workers.
Deputy City Manager Greg Garcia, responding to O’Neil’s concerns, said they’ve been tracking state and federal efforts for property owner relief, but didn’t have anything solid the city can do.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a great answer for you right now,” Garcia said.
Costa Mesa’s Eviction Ban
Costa Mesa also temporarily banned evictions for residents and businesses suffering the economic fallout from waves of business closures in the wake of Gov. Newsom’s stay home order to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The City Council voted 5-2 to adopt the emergency ordinance at Tuesday’s special meeting with Councilmembers Alan Mansoor and Sandra Genis dissenting.
Like Anaheim, Costa Mesa’s ordinance will be effective immediately.
“We’re not taking into consideration the landlord’s mortgage, if they’re not receiving rent, how do they pay their mortgage? Are they going to fall behind on their payments? Are they going to go into foreclosure? Not everybody is the Irvine company. There are mom and pop owners,” Mansoor said.
Genis opposed the ban because she said the ordinance could put a burden on “mom and pop landlords” who are also senior citizens.
“We’re pulling the rug out from under them,” Genis said.
Costa Mesa’s eviction ban lasts until Gov. Newsom’s state of emergency executive order is lifted and residents will have four months to pay back rent without fees or penalties.
Mayor Katrina Foley said the city must provide a lifeline for residents and small businesses during the spreading economic woes.
“We have a lot of residents in this city who do not have jobs that will allow them to be eligible for the government unemployment insurance, family paid leave, sick leave, they’re just not going to be eligible,” Foley said. “We’re in uncharted territory here and we must give a lifeline to our residents, our small business owners and people who are just literally sinking right now.”
Foley wanted to extend the four-month repayment, like Santa Ana’s six-month window to repay rent, so it would decrease the amount of back rent people would have to pay each month.
“I think we’re setting people up for not being able to pay the rent as soon as it becomes due,” Foley said.
But her idea fizzled out during Council deliberations.
The council amended the ordinance to make exceptions for landlords and tenants who have agreed on a deal in writing on how they would pay the rent because of the effects of the pandemic.
Costa Mesa has roughly 41,000 households in a city of about 114,000 residents. The city’s median household income is about $79,000 with 13 percent of its residents living in poverty, according to the US Census Bureau.
Irvine’s Eviction Resolution
Irvine Councilmembers voted 4-1 on a resolution that “strongly encouraged” landlords to not evict people, in contrast to an enforceable ordinance adopted by Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana.
The resolution relies on a section of Gov. Newsom’s statewide declaration of emergency, which allows local governments to ban evictions. But cities have to adopt ordinances to provide any eviction protections for residents and businesses.
Councilwoman Melissa Fox dissented, and said an ordinance is needed — not a resolution — to protect residents.
“It is important that this council pass an enforceable order banning convictions and that order includes everyone,” Fox said. “This resolution has no force of law as written.”
City Attorney Jeff Melching described the resolution as “choosing cooperation over regulation.”
Fox proposed rebranding the resolution as an ordinance to make it enforceable by law but did not receive Council support.
The resolution said the city could go further but held back “based on (the city’s) long history working together with its business community.” The resolution stated “key members” of the business community indicated they were open to following the resolution.
The original draft of the memo accompanying the resolution identified them as the Irvine Company and FivePoint Holdings, the two largest developers in the city of Irvine, but a later update to the memo remove their names.
Irvine’s median household income for its roughly 95,000 households is almost $101,000, and 13 percent of its roughly 282,000 residents live in poverty according to the US Census Bureau.
Instead of discussing the item, Mayor Christina Shea and Councilwoman Farrah Khan attacked Fox for her comments on her blog about the resolution. Fox was not in the council chambers for the meeting but called in from home.
“She’s just attacking me and Farrah Khan, it’s all political, it’s just a very negative and awful attack,” Shea said. “We need to focus on (the resolution) and stop the grandstanding and politicizing of items.”
When Fox attempted to respond to the comments from Shea and Khan about her post, the council majority voted her out of order and she was told she could comment later in the meeting.
For those seeking a useful way to spend their time during social distancing—or anyone simply interested in forging a deeper connection with their homes—HB has launched Home Love, a series of daily tips and ideas to make every minute indoors more productive (and gratifying!).
Around the world, businesses are being forced to close their doors to help halt the spread of COVID-19. And yes, that includes the gym. While you might have to skip out on your favorite group fitness class (Pssst! There are a ton of studios live-streaming classes for free right now!), you should definitely keep moving—especially when you’re self-isolating instead of commuting to and from work as usual. But let us guess, you don’t have a home gym? Shayna Schmidt, co-founder of Livekick, a video service for home workouts, and personal trainer, is here to break down how to set up your very own at home.
What You Need
Not a ton, according to Schmidt! She says, “All you need is a 6 ft by 6 ft square of space. Seriously, that’s it.” That’s about the size of a small bathroom. So even if you live in a shoebox apartment (ahem, me), you shouldn’t have a problem finding space–even if it’s in the living room.
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Once you’ve found a spot to set up your home gym, you can start building your workouts. While Schmidt says that official gym equipment isn’t necessary, there are some “nice-to-have” items she recommends: If you can, get “a yoga mat and a set of dumbbells” (though, she says, “a set of wine bottles works just as well” as weights). Bonus: Reward yourself for working out by opening one of those bottles. Now that’s a workout I can get behind.
Schmidt also recommends taking advantage of items that you already own for your home gym setup. “A coffee table or ottoman works really well for tricep dips, Bulgarian split squats, and decline push-ups,” she says, and “A towel can easily replace a yoga strap.”
Got none of this stuff? No problem. “You can get some of the best workouts of your life with zero equipment,” says Schmidt, who recommends calisthenics, “a genre of fitness that utilizes gravity and your own bodyweight for resistance in order to increase strength and flexibility.” She says to think of it “like weightlifting, but instead of using external weights, you’re using what you’ve already got built in. The term calisthenics comes from the Greek words ‘Kalos,’ which means beauty, and ‘Stenos,’ which translates to strength. Strength and beauty–who doesn’t want that?!” Just search for “beginner calisthenics workout” on Youtube to get started.
What You Should Be Doing
With group fitness and gym trips out of the question, you might be wondering how to actually workout. If making up your own workout isn’t part of your social-distancing agenda, Schmidt recommends turning to fitness apps and live-streamed workouts.
Livekick
Like “a yoga retreat but without the need to leave your home,” says Schmidt, Livekick is a platform that offers “at-home yoga, fitness, meditation, and general wellness classes on live two-way streaming video, as well as private memberships.” Plus, you can do classes “with friends from all over the globe!” Fitness and remote friendships? Sounds like the perfect social distancing activity if you ask me.
While most people are familiar with ClassPass, a service that lets you try out a variety of boutique fitness classes, not as many are familiar with their app, ClassPass Go. While you’ll have to forego the in-person fitness sesh, “ClassPass Go connects you to audio-based fitness classes,” Schmidt says. Classes range from “stretching and meditation to strength training and outdoor running,” according to Schmidt. Each workout is curated by ClassPass trainers and range in duration from forty to sixty minutes.
From high-quality, raw proteins to artisan bread, keep your pantry stocked with goods from these local businesses.
➜ Selanne Steak Tavern Laguna Beach What: Pop-up mini market with items such as bacon, eggs, milk, produce, butchered-to-order prime meats, poultry, and seafood How: Curbside pick-up Order: 949-715-9881
➜ HendrixLaguna Niguel What: Pop-up market noon-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, offering items such as portion-cut steaks, pork, lamb, and fish; rotisserie chickens; fresh produce and pantry items; batch cocktails and half-price bottles of wine; even household supplies such as paper towels, gloves, and bathroom tissue. How: In-store or curbside pick-up Order: 949-248-1912➜ GlassparDana Point What: Fresh-caught, high-quality seafood including Alaskan halibut, salmon, tuna, shrimp, clams, scallops, and more How: In-store pick-up Order: 949-240-6243➜ Alta Baja MarketSanta Ana What: Dressings, spreads, salsas, house-made soups, pozole, and pecan butter How: Curbside pick-up Order: 714-783-2252
➜ Whitestone Dana Point What: Pantry items such as eggs, milk, bread, chicken breasts, and more How: In-store pick-up Order: 949-489-8911➜ Arc Butcher & BakerNewport Beach What: Select items such as eggs, milk, sliced meats, and dry goods How: Delivery in the Lido area Order: 949-877-0190➜ Haven Craft Kitchen + BarOrange What: Select items such as cage-free eggs, bread, sustainable seafood, and raw meats How: Curbside pick-up Order: Online at toastab.com
➜ Lido Bottle Works Newport Beach What: Chef Amy’s Quarantine Kit (items change daily), $45 How: Pick-up Order: 949-529-2784
➜ The Ecology Center San Juan Capistrano What: Farm Share: Resilience Box which comes with staple items from vegetables to fruit and add-on items such as honey, bread, and olive oil (currently sold out but stay tuned for updates) How: Curbside pick-up Order: Online at shop.theecologycenter.org
➜ Selanne Steak Tavern Laguna Beach What: Butchered-to-order meats, poultry, and seafood as well as milk, eggs, and produce How: Curbside pick-up Order: 949-715-9881
➜ Old Brea Chop House Brea What: Vacuum-sealed 12-ounce bone-in filets ($36) and 22-ounce bone-in ribeye ($57) How: Curbside pick-up and delivery Order: 714-592-3122
➜ The Winery Restaurant & Wine BarTustin What: Select cuts of meat (based on availability) How: Curbside pick-up and delivery (soon through Postmates and Grubhub) Order: 714-258-7600
➜ Portola Coffee RoastersOrange, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, and Tustin What: Straus milk (half gallon) and milk alternatives (based on availability) How: Free shipping Order: Online at portolacoffee.com
➜ OC Baking CompanyOrange What: Artisan bread How: Pick-up (bring cash and your own bags), Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
➜ NormsMultiple O.C. locations What: Care package including 2.5 dozen eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, sliced fruit, biscuits, and toilet paper ($35), as well as a salad add-on How: Pick-up
➜ Rye GoodsCosta Mesa What: Artisan bread; organic produce boxes available every Saturday How: Pick-up Order: Online at ryegoods.com by Sunday for pick-up on Tuesday; pre-order produce boxes
➜ Rialto CafeFullerton What: Eggs, bread, strawberries, tomatoes, and coffee, sourdough bread, tortillas, and more How: Pick-up Order: 714-525-5111
➜ Lazy Dog Brea, Irvine, and Orange What: Pantry home essentials package which includes items such as milk, eggs, butter, chicken, and toilet paper ($40) How: Curbside pick-up Order: Order online at lazydogrestaurants.com
➜ Golden Road Pub Huntington Beach What: Vegetables, bread, paper goods, meats and dairy/non-dairy products How: Curbside pick-up and drive-thru Order: Order online at sked.link/goldenroadpubhb
As health officials encourage social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), millions of Americans have unexpectedly found themselves working from home. For many, telecommuting may be unfamiliar territory—a whole new world of video conferencing and working from the couch.
It can also lead to cabin fever, or feelings of anxiety or restlessness.
Whether you’ve been working remotely for years or this is your first time, we’ve got tips to make working from home work for you.
Working remotely shouldn’t mean changing your hours. Try to maintain the same working hours as usual, including starting and ending the workday at the same time and taking a lunch break.
Some people also find it helpful to get up and get ready for work as if they’re actually going into the office—shower, get dressed, have breakfast. This can help you feel ready for work and can start the day off on a productive note.
“We have such a structured scheduled at work, it can also be helpful to actually take the time to write out a schedule at home to make it more concrete for yourself,” says Jonathan Vickburg, mental health supervisor for Cedars-Sinai Share & Care.
Tip 2: Create a workspace
One of the best things you can do for yourself is to set up a designated space where you can work. Even if you don’t have a home office or a desk, it’s helpful to create a small space where you will be during work hours.
It’s beneficial to have a separate space to work so that at the end of the day, you can shut down and disconnect from work.
“It’s easier for the separation of work and free time to become blurred at home if you don’t make a clear distinction in your space,” says Jonathan. “Once you walk out of that space, you know your home time starts and you’re less likely to bounce back and forth between work and home, especially late at night.”
It’s also important there is enough light that you’re not straining your eyes looking at a computer and a proper place to set up your computer so you don’t have to crane your neck.
When you’re working from home, it’s easy to lose your work/life balance, but it’s important not to blend work time and home or family time.
When you’re done working for the day, put your work away. Log off and stay logged off until it’s time to return to work the next day.
“If your family is home too, communicate your boundaries with them so they know when it’s work time and when it’s not,” Jonathan says.
Tip 4: Keep in contact
One of the biggest concerns people have when working remotely is social isolation. Try using chat tools to stay in touch with your co-workers and make time to call friends and family each day. You can also try calling into meetings using your webcam so you can see people and they can see you.
“In maintaining balance, you need to carve out the pieces of your pie,” says Jonathan. “We are used to seeing people in our normal workday so at home we need to reinvent that, whether it’s social friendships or work colleagues. We have many different types of social interaction and it’s important to maintain those.”
Tip 5: Get moving
Physical exercise should be part of any lifestyle, but it’s especially important when you’re working from home. Try to incorporate 20 minutes of moderate activity each day.
There are many free resources available online that offer everything from yoga classes to full body workouts you can do from your living room.
The number of building permits issued for single-family homes is the best indicator of how many newly built homes will begin to come to market over the next few months. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Residential Construction Report, the number of building permits issued in January was 1,551,000. This is a 9.2% increase from December.
How will this impact buyers?
New inventory means more options. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR),explained how this is good news for the housing market – especially for those looking to buy:
“More construction will mean more housing inventory for consumers in the later months of this year…Spring months could still be quite tough for buyers since it takes time to convert housing starts into actual housing completions.”
How will this impact sellers?
More inventory means more competition. Yun continues to say:
“As trade-up buyers move into these newly completed homes in the near future, their existing homes will be released onto the market.”
Today, because of the tremendous lack of inventory, a seller can potentially anticipate:
A great sale price on their house as buyers engage in potential bidding wars.
A quick sale as buyers have little inventory to choose from.
Fewer hassles as buyers want to smoothly secure a contract.
Bottom Line
If you’re considering selling your house, you’ll want to list sooner rather than later. This way, you’ll get ahead of this new competition coming to market and ensure the most attention toward your listing and the best price for your house.
CRAVETIGER
Laguna Beach
ORANGE COUNTY TRENDS 