First time home buyers, Jordan and Manas, found the home of their dreams, but they found it just days before the Covid-19 pandemic first shut down Ontario.
"Talk about timing eh?" Jordan remarked when thinking back on the situation. "We never expected to go through the process of buying our first home while a contagious virus was wreaking havoc on the world. It definitely made for a interesting experience."
The couple had been renting in St. Catharines for the past six years and felt it was time to put down some roots and make an investment in their future with the purchase of a home.
"We've been casually looking for about a year or so, but we hadn't found a place that really spoke to us yet. We came close with a couple properties, but never pulled the trigger because we were still missing that 'feels like home' element."
But then, one day out of the blue, they found what they had been looking for.
"When we saw the listing online, it ticked all of our boxes, so our agent, Natalie, set up a showing that evening. The second we walked through the door we knew this was going to be our house."
But with other offers already submitted, the couple was not only in competition for the property, they were also racing against the COVID clock.
The pandemic was already significantly impacting other countries around the globe, but when Jordan and Manas put in their offer, Canada hadn't been severely affected yet. Unfortunately things were about to change and by a week later when the paperwork had been finalized and they were riding the high of having just bought their first home, the provincial government announced that Ontario was shutting down.
"It was a scary time. Thousands of people were being laid off, everyone was staying home and minimizing contact and no one knew when things would get back to 'normal'. Buying your first home comes with enough stress on its own because it's a huge financial decision. So add to that competing offers, a province-wide shut down and a global pandemic and it's fair to say we had a few worry-filled nights," Jordan chuckled. "But honestly, we are so grateful for the team we had working with us. Our real estate agent, mortgage agent, and real estate lawyer were all amazing at implementing COVID protocols and keeping us calm. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, everything closed on time and we were able to ride out the lock downs in our beautiful new home!"