The world is changing by the minute. The layers of the turmoil from COVID-19 run deep. How do we cope with current state of the planet, our local community and our own home? I usually write fairly short blogs but forgive me, this one may ramble on.

Social Distancing? I disagree! We need Physical Distancing, certainly. Stay six feet apart from one another, definitely and wash your hands. But we need each other. So forget about Social Distancing. Pick up the phone and call your loved ones, friends and clients. We need a personal connection right now. And we need to laugh. Send each other funny videos and jokes. Organize group video parties and cocktail and mocktail hours. 

If you are struggling to cope with current events do not watch the news all day. Maybe check the news in the morning and move on. Do not watch the news at night. But if you are wondering what is going on in Park City and Summit County, log on to KPCW: Listen Here

Practice taking your MEDS. Meditation, Exercise, Diet & Sleep. Just going for a walk outside will help with stress and clear your brain. Invite friends, just stay six feet apart, seriously. Bundle up, it’s still snowing in Park City and the ski resorts are closed (this personally is extremely hard for me. You can’t buys skins anywhere to skin up the mountain. Feel free to reach out if  you don’t know what I’m talking about). 

Keep a routine and show up for work mentally. When working from home, establish guidelines for you and other family members about respecting space and where to talk on the phone. My husband talks so loud when he’s on the phone. Love him, but it drives me nuts. We finally had to have a little chat about space, both physical and audible. Have you seen the funny post on Facebook about creating an imaginary roommate to blame things on? We named ours Clarice. She is always leaving dirty dishes in the sink and the lights on. And she is so loud on the phone. That Clarice! Blaming things on Clarice cracks us up all day long. 

Focus on what you can control and not what you can’t. You can control your mental headspace, whether you get out and exercise, taking your MEDS (see above). You can control how much you are able to help your struggling community. Yes, beautiful Park City has people who really need our help. You can order take out to help support local restaurants that are really suffering. Here is a list of restaurant offerings: Curbside Dining

You can control whether you get involved in helping those less fortunate than you who are struggling from employment loss, kids at home, home schooling, not enough food. An excellent resource for those struggling to meet basic needs is the Christian Center. You can help by donating. Funds will be allocated directly to landlords for missed rent payments, utility companies, medical care. Click here to help.

What about if you are grappling with finances? Do you currently own your own home and reside there? Have you thought about taking out a Home Equity Line of Credit? (HELOC) Two great resources are Mountain America Credit Union  and Security Service Federal Credit Union .

So you wanted to list your property in Park City but now Summit County is shut down until May 1. What does that mean for you? If you don’t have to sell immediately then what I advise is to wait until this bumpy ride is over. What you can do now is to prepare. Declutter, donate and deep clean. Get a pre-inspection on your property so you know ahead of time what issues there may be. Pick the top three issues and solve them now. Do not give a buyer the opportunity to renegotiate on price after the issues come up in their own inspection. Take that right off the negotiation table. A great home inspector who provides pre-listing home inspections is James D’Angelo at HomeTech Property Inspections. 

Need to place your property on the market right away? There are virtual tools available, such as virtual listing presentations, virtual open houses, FaceTime showings. No doubt you will have less competition right now. Inventory is extremely low. We are still experiencing multiple offer situations with well priced properties.

If you are thinking of purchasing investment property now, position yourself to be able to withstand a couple of months of missed rent. Tenants are toiling to gather funds to make rent payments Do not over leverage yourself. 

All in all, we will get through this, together. We will come to appreciate the little things in life. Planet Earth is on a major re-boot. Seize the opportunity to transform yourself. Enjoy the clean air, clear water, lack of crowds, silence. Before long this will all be behind us.