Between the coronavirus pandemic, the shutdown of nonessential businesses in outbreak areas and a plummeting stock market, many may wonder: Are we headed for a recession? Anyone hoping to buy a home anytime soon would probably like to know the answer before committing to a major, long-term purchase.

If you believe in self-fulfilling prophecies, consider this: According to a survey of consumer sentiment conducted in late 2019—before the coronavirus news broke—more than 30% of Americans had already expected to see a recession in 2020. Plus, 56% said they would postpone buying a home until the economy improves.

Spring is upon us, which typically involves a big peak of home buyers checking out properties, negotiating, and closing on new places. But the coronavirus outbreak—with its quarantine measures and economic uncertainties—has many a real estate shopper wondering: Should I buy a home now, or wait?

We're here to help you navigate this confusing new normal with this series, „Home Buying in the Age of Coronavirus".

This first installment aims to help you figure out whether you can—and should—shop for a home right now, or hold off until this crisis blows over. Read on for some honest answers that will help you decide what to do.

As a result of the coronavirus, most Central and Eastern European countries have introduced a number of measures restricting the real estate sector, including the closure of certain leases, while only a few countries have adopted legislation protecting tenants from losing their rented property due to lost income.

In case you hadn’t been thinking about it, the week of April 12-18 would have been, historically, the best time to list a home for sale.

We make this recommendation by studying the usual seasonal patterns in the past few years’ data, and identify the best week that optimizes for a variety of factors in favor of sellers, including buyer demand metrics such as views per property, and seller competition metrics such as new listings and total active listings, market pace, and the likelihood of making a price reduction.

You may have certain factors that are more important to you–selling quickly or needing to ensure you don’t have to cut your price–but statistically, the best balance of factors would have been during the second week of April.

The Budapest rental market is expected to come back to life after the shock in March. Adapting to the online world and due to the decreasing rents, tenants’ demand is picking up for apartments to rent.

Tenants currently pay HUF 20,000 less for an average rent than in January, and bargaining rental fee has become common. Rent decline is expected to slow down in May, but we can hardly expect a rebound as previous Airbnb homes continue to appear in the long-term rental market and increase supply week by week – as per recent trends at ingatlan.com, based on its own database.

We need to deal with this issue carefully as all said may affect the market. Both buyers and owners are much more aware today, trying to think and play with each other’s minds.

Two months have passed in this year and it would be a great courage to say anything for now.

The turnover statistics show that since the summer of 2019, there are fewer buyers and there is a decline of 20-25 percent in the number of transactions measured by the Central Statistics Office in the third quarter of last year.

In spite of the decrease in turnover, we do not see any shift in prices that would significally cut back the prices.

Maybe you’ve bought and sold a home before, or maybe this is the first time. Regardless, now you need to get top dollar for it. Yes, you can tidy up, bake some cookies so the house smells nice, and place fresh flowers (research says roses, lavender, and fuchsia most sway buyers) around the house. But these are the typical techniques most sellers deploy. Really want to get the best price possible - or even spark a bidding war?

Here are 10 tips that are seldom mentioned in listing houses that just might put your property over the edge.

Although a cap rate will not always tell you everything you need to know about a piece of real estate before investing, it is a good indicator of the return you can expect on an investment.

Also, cap rates are highly location dependent. A good cap rate in downtown Budapest or by the Danube will not be the same as a good cap rate in the outskirts.

One of the best applications of the cap rate is using it in relation to other local potential investments. Running the numbers on several different potential acquisitions can give you an idea of how they stack up and which one is going to be most beneficial for you.

The basic formula for calculating a cap rate is to divide the NOI by the property value. However, the actual calculation can be a bit more complicated. For the most accurate estimation of a property’s cap rate, it’s important that you use a comprehensive calculation.

The more detailed you are when you calculate your cap rate, the easier it will be for you to have a comprehensive understanding of both a property’s value and its operational costs.

Below are the key steps to take when calculating the cap rate for any particular rental property:

It is remarkable how radically our society is changing.

Whereas for many years the focus has been on increasing speed and digitisation, things have shifted and the desire for self-discovery has now become an important theme.

Instead of constantly chasing after a newer, faster and shinier future, more and more people are seeking depth, deceleration and greater closeness to Mother Nature.

Other cultures and spirituality can provide valuable guidance in this change of consciousness.