New Year Musings

We all have our stories to tell for 2020, so I thought I would share mine.  Like most, at the end 0f 2019 I made my new year resolutions for health, spirituality and business.  I was determined that 2020 was to be my year, as it had such a ring to it did it not?  I was going to give up booze, drink more water and eat healthily, connect with the universe, take up yoga, be kinder and work my socks off in business.

However, on January 4th 2020 I got a call from a hospital in Wales to say that one of my sons had been attacked and he was being helicoptered to Cardiff University Hospital with a life changing head injury.  So,I put my life on hold and sat by his beside for 2 months whilst the Neuro doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to save his life. Miraculously, he has made an almost full recovery but it has not been easy.

Fast forward to the Corona virus, which hindered his Neuro follow up care, not to mention the whole country in lockdown.  Who would have thought that it wouldn’t be our self sabotage that stopped our new year resolutions, but a tiny virus?  All completely out of our control.

I swung from being grateful that I live in Cornwall and close to the sea, to feeling utter despair for all our futures.

No one could have predicted the effect of this pandemic would have on the Cornish property market.  As lockdown slowly lifted, the estate agents phones were ringing off the hook and I have never had so many buyers wanting my help.  I had to turn many away as I just could not look after everyone.  Demand continually outstripped supply with high end properties being snapped up as soon as they were launched.

So, what will the property market be like in 2021?  We have started the year with another lockdown and even Cornwall went swiftly from Tier 1, to Tier 2 and at time of writing Tier 3.  What a smack in the teeth, particularly for the hospitality sector, Cornwall is a tourist destination and we need people down here on holiday spending their money.  They help the pubs, restaurants and hotels stay open so this affects us locals as well.

When the second lockdown was lifted we were straight into December and Christmas, so little came to the market and although there were a lot of cash buyers around, most were focusing on Christmas.  When this latest lockdown lifts, who knows what will happen?  The future is uncertain and I really cannot look into my crystal ball and predict a definite outcome.

Gosh, that was all a bit gloomy!  On a brighter note, there is a feeling in the air that there is much to look forward too.  As long as we follow government guidelines, and keep safe and once the vaccine is rolled out to all age groups, hopefully we will all have a brighter future!

Happy New Year and stay safe.