What have you been doing to keep busy during your self isolation? I know I’ve been taking this time to catch up on some books, trying different workouts and staying in touch with my family from a far. What do all these activities have in common? The internet.

Although I prefer a hard cover book, there are a lot of people who prefer to read Ebooks, which is accessed through an online interface. I know my daughters have been participating in the at home workouts and yoga classes that you can stream from your laptop or TV.  As far as staying in touch with loved ones, my family and I have started a weekly zoom call to check in and make sure everyone is healthy and lively! We have family members in every time zone, so it’s rewarding when everyone is able to hop on the call.

So what does all of this have to do with real estate? This shows us how people are engaging with the Internet now more than ever before. There has been a massive jump in the amount of digital media consumption since the outbreak. This may not come as a surprise to you, but the surprising silver lining is how creative people in our society have become in using the internet to stay entertained and connected during this crisis. I saw a video last night that captured hundreds of neighboring people living in the downtown high rises of Chicago, interacting through a quarantined dance party. I thought to myself, “that would be unbelievable if that had happened spontaneously.” Sure enough, I was correct. The people that lived in the surrounding apartment buildings in Chicago had created a Facebook event with a time, a music genre and everything. This demonstrates how the internet is playing a major role in our ability to communicate and interact with one another.

If your digital footprint is inadequate,  then now is your chance to amp up your website with personal videos, blog posts, or  even a simple update with how COVID-19 is impacting you. Take this opportunity to market yourself. Give you’re clients a call to see how they are handling this global epidemic and see if there is any way you could help. Who knows, maybe their friend of a friend is selling and you called at the right time. I think a lot of people are developing back up plans to their already existing back up plans. Moving could be a serious option, in which case they would need to find a real estate agent fast. It’s the little things that will mean a lot in the long run and will contribute to your digital footprint in this moment.

I hope this shed some light and positivity in your day. It’s incredible how individuals are taking advantage of the tools within the internet to do things they wouldn’t normally imagine doing to stay connected with the outside world. I know that my family and I are going to try and keep our weekly zoom call a tradition when the virus is said and done. It would be interesting to see if the residents of Chicago will continue with their quarantine restricted dance parties! Stay safe and remember to social distance!