‘Investors who own Airbnb properties are looking for immediate liquidity’

The coronavirus pandemic sent shock waves throughout the real-estate industry. But does that make now a good time to put in an offer on a property?

The answer to that question will largely depend on what you plan to do with the home — particularly if you’re an investor.

“It’s a good time to buy an investment property if you can find inventory at a good price,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president of market economics at real-estate website Auction.com.

But finding homes at a good price could be something of a challenge.

When the coronavirus pandemic began to trigger stay-at-home orders across the country, it upended the home-buying process.

Companies that specialize in buying and selling homes for a profit put a temporary pause on operations, and real-estate agents had to innovate, moving toward virtual open houses and remote closings to adhere to social-distancing protocols.

With the backdrop of these changes — plus the rapid rise in unemployment — sellers responded by pulling their listings. New listings were down more than 44% in April compared with the previous year, according to data from Realtor.com.