When Rebeka McBride and her husband put
their home in Washington state on the market in
early March, the coronavirus outbreak was just
taking hold in the United States. They managed
to hold two open houses and a smattering of
private viewings before accepting an offer.
But with the U.S. economy now collapsing, the
family is less confident about their move to a
Minneapolis suburb, where McBride sees brighter
job prospects in her field of medical device
research. She worries that their buyer will pull out
before closing. And for her own new home, she’s
using virtual tours but isn’t inclined to make an
offer without seeing a home in person. Worse,
McBride is suddenly worried about job prospects
amid mass layoffs, forcing a reassessment of what
she and her husband can afford.