5 Ways the Coronavirus Has Changed Suburban Real Estate

5 Ways the Coronavirus Has Changed Suburban Real Estate

Thousands of New Yorkers left the city and headed to the suburbs during the pandemic, and real estate there hasn't been the same since.

Credit...Simone NoronhaJuly 17, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET

Shawna Padula and Keith Hymes, both 37, decided very shortly after the pandemic shutdown in New York that they would stop looking for a larger apartment in the city for their growing family and instead shop for a house in the suburbs.

It was late March when they headed out to Long Island's North Shore to see a four-bedroom colonial with a big backyard in Manhasset. Real estate agents were then prohibited from giving in-person home tours, but the homeowner had agreed to personally show them around, provided they wore masks and gloves.

"It was the first and only house we looked at,“ said Ms. Padula, who works in the apparel industry and is expecting the couple's second child. "We really liked the area, and the house was move-in ready.“

They bought the house right away for $1.575 million, and moved in late last month. Mr. Hymes had been reluctant to leave the city, but now they're both relieved they bought when they did, as competition in the suburban commuter markets has grown