EZEtoGRU

Announced yesterday that the US/Canada border will remain closed for at least another 30 days. Meaning freight with essential items or individuals that have a compelling reason to travel. I guess there will be no trips to Montreal in May.
 
Meanwhile, 72 COVID-related deaths in all of Quebec on Saturday. Greater Montreal is considered the COVID hotspot for all of Canada. That being the case, I don't see most things re-opening there anytime soon. Maybe June/July will see some bars/restaurants re-opening.

Good point. Here in Michigan, liquor stores/legal marijuana stores/the lottery all continue to operate...likely so that the state can continue to get the revenue from ongoing sales.

Good point. Here in Michigan, liquor stores/legal marijuana stores/the lottery all continue to operate...likely so that the state can continue to get the revenue from ongoing sales.

Good point. Here in Michigan, liquor stores/legal marijuana stores/the lottery all continue to operate...likely so that the state can continue to get the revenue from ongoing sales.

Does Rentmen not even care that they have an advertiser changing names every other hour?

I've lived in or been connected to the Scottsdale area since age 12......no daylight saving time observed!!!
 
it's just a very large suburb of Phoenix, but, of course, has the upscale vibe and reputation......very clean feeling, sensible zoning laws, well-maintained streets, and some walkable neighborhoods (usually near downtown Scotts)......much of the vast northern reaches of Scotts (developed in only the last 20-30 years) is little more than subdivision after subdivision, strip mall after strip mall, with little soul (albeit usually upscale) and a hop in the car required for any little errand......but the higher-priced homes in north Scotts ($3 million and up) on larger lots (an acre and up) are certainly attractive and desirable....lots of golf courses, tennis, resort atmosphere all over.......and lots of fast traffic and self-important drivers in the winter and even the summer......
 
the dry air is the clincher for me......such a plus......except in July and August (the humid summer rainy period low 90 high 105), the outside is usually spectacular.....wide swing in day/night temperatures because of that low humidity......three or four periods of cold and rain every winter for a couple days each (low 30 high 50 at the worst in those days) with fireplaces in full use......usually low 40 high 70 in the winter........May and June are the hottest and driest (low 70 high 110).....AC drones on all summer day and night......
 
you'll need to be ready for low density and the desert atmosphere.....few trees, wide-open views, a somewhat "brown" tone to everything including the buildings.....there are areas of highly-irrigated grass and artificial lakes, but that is increasingly considered extravagant and inappropriate.......
 
formerly one of the legendary great spots of the world for lung and asthma concerns, the entire region is now one of the worst for that because of the proliferation of non-native plants and vegetation (planted by homesick midwesterners over the years, so the legend goes).....
 
I'd concentrate on a spot near downtown Scottsdale (charmingly called Old Town by the visitors bureau) because of the walkable nature and great array of businesses to choose from all close by.....some older 50s-era neighborhoods here, newer upscale condos and a few condo towers (up to about twelve stories), apartments, time-shares, the whole bit....and quick-paced traffic in the winter.......
 
as expected, real estate prices are among the highest in the state....only neighboring Town Of Paradise Valley (zip 85253) is higher (much higher)......
 
what are you main concerns and preferences as you near retirement???

Bless you Purple.

I fully agree. There will be a huge glut of office space and real estate in general. The remaining weak shopping malls will not re-open once things noticeably improve. Perhaps as things open up again in the fall or in 2021, we'll likely have only half of the number of shopping malls compared to what we had before COVID. Some major retailers will go under completely. Candidates would be: Sears/KMart, JCPenney, Macy's. There are suggestions that 20% or more of restaurants may not re-open once we are on the other side of this. There will be many more empty store fronts. Challenging times ahead. The aftermath will be frightening.

I fully agree. There will be a huge glut of office space and real estate in general. The remaining weak shopping malls will not re-open once things noticeably improve. Perhaps as things open up again in the fall or in 2021, we'll likely have only half of the number of shopping malls compared to what we had before COVID. Some major retailers will go under completely. Candidates would be: Sears/KMart, JCPenney, Macy's. There are suggestions that 20% or more of restaurants may not re-open once we are on the other side of this. There will be many more empty store fronts. Challenging times ahead. The aftermath will be frightening.

I think this will be the case. One friend who owns a high tech computer company has told me as much.
 
I think that it will impact all areas of real estate. For example, as more people get use to shopping on line, expect retail stores to keep shrinking in number and size. Big shopping centers were struggling before the pandemic and this will push many over the edge.
 
I think this will affect college real estate as well both in classrooms and housing as more courses will move online. Why settle for a lecture from an average college professor when you can stream a great University of Pennsylvania professor.?. Why have a big campus and live away from home when it can all be done over the internet? (This week I participated in two interactive classes on ZOOM with 20 people in one class and about 30 in the other. I also “attended” a live lecture in NYC with about 800 people). Instead of spending months on campus, students may come for a few weeks at a time in person and spend the rest of the time online.
 
Housing patterns may change as well. If jobs are not tied to a physical location, people may chose less dense housing than big city high rises.
 
As telemedicine develops, some physical hospital functions may shrink just as outpatient surgery reduced the need for hospital beds.
 
We are still in the early stages of what can be a huge change in real estate.

Bless you Purple.

Bless you Purple.

Bless you Purple.

Bless you Purple.

Bless you Purple.

Bless you Purple.

Bless you Purple.

What a mess. 17 cruise ships currently off Florida and not being allowed to dock. Some have only crew on board others still have passengers. Some have sick people on board. US Coast Guard no longer wants to take responsibility for evacuations nor allow docking and de-boarding. Some(Many?) of the vessels are Bahamian-flagged (even though they belong to US cruise lines) and some ships are being directed to seek help from the Bahamas. Some ships being told they may need to remain sequestered offshore indefinitely.
 
COVID-19 may destroy the cruise industry.
 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/coast-guard-tells-cruises-to-prepare-to-care-for-sick-people-for-indefinite-period/ar-BB11ZoEY?ocid=spartanntp

In my opinion, cruise industry bailouts should be near the bottom of the priority list.... at least airlines pay income taxes, employ US citizen, pay tax on fuel, etc.

What a mess. 17 cruise ships currently off Florida and not being allowed to dock. Some have only crew on board others still have passengers. Some have sick people on board. US Coast Guard no longer wants to take responsibility for evacuations nor allow docking and de-boarding. Some(Many?) of the vessels are Bahamian-flagged (even though they belong to US cruise lines) and some ships are being directed to seek help from the Bahamas. Some ships being told they may need to remain sequestered offshore indefinitely.
 
COVID-19 may destroy the cruise industry.
 
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/coast-guard-tells-cruises-to-prepare-to-care-for-sick-people-for-indefinite-period/ar-BB11ZoEY?ocid=spartanntp

I think air travel will be permanently curtailed to a significant degree. It is what made this into a global pandemic. Not only is it dangerous, its a huge contributor to climate change. We are entering a new era.

I'm very surprised any salad or food bar is still open. The salad bar in our local grocery store was shut down about two weeks ago.

I'm very surprised any salad or food bar is still open. The salad bar in our local grocery store was shut down about two weeks ago.

I'm very surprised any salad or food bar is still open. The salad bar in our local grocery store was shut down about two weeks ago.

I'm very surprised any salad or food bar is still open. The salad bar in our local grocery store was shut down about two weeks ago.