The pandemic's lasting effects have impacted dozens of industries close to home, including the one that finds them. Realtors have seen a spike in housing in the local area as New York re-opens despite COVID-19 concerns slowing down some markets across the country.

Real estate company Howard Hannah has certainly seen an upward trend in buyers over the last few months as Ithaca Co-Manager Thad DeMulder explained, "We're in a very strong market. In April our sales were sown about 70% in May our sales were down about 30%. But if you look at the last 3 to 4 weeks we're about comparable to last year or slightly ahead in the Ithaca market here."

This uptick in sales combined with 30% fewer houses on the market has led to increased competition for buyers. This is in part due to cautious sellers and the delay of new buyers from April and May due to virus concerns.

"I had a buyer put an offer in on a property and and there was 8 other offers on the property which is a lot for our area. And I would say probably 8 out of the last 10 offers I've written have been multiple offer situations. And those are really out on the outskirts out in the more rural areas. They're even seeing multiple offers after being on the market for only a day or two," added realtor Kelly Skeval.

And homeowners are certainly feeling the heat as this spike is expected to last further into the summer.

Potential buyer Sharon Warren said the experience has been a bit stressful in the past few weeks. "We have noticed online a few ranch houses that we actually loved and when we were going to look into seeing them, in one or two days, a purchase order was made and they were off the market. And they were beautiful homes."

If you're interested in touring a house be aware that masks are required on most tours and some companies are requiring waivers as well to keep the showing as safe as possible.