UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residential property sales in rural Pennsylvania will be the focus of a web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.
Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon Feb. 16 will be Jonathan Johnson, with the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, and Eric Koopman, with the Monroe County Planning Commission.
Many Americans reexamined their living and working conditions during the pandemic. According to organizers, this shift in thinking affected the housing market in Pennsylvania. In 2020, the state saw an increase in rural home purchases and a decrease in urban home purchases.
The Center for Rural Pennsylvania recently published a report — “Welcome to Rural Pennsylvania: COVID-19 and Residential Property Sales” — analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on residential property sales throughout Pennsylvania.
“Analysis of the five case study counties provided some evidence that new rural homebuyers came from counties with higher COVID rates,” Johnson said.
Koopman noted that data from the 2020 census and local school enrollment shows a decrease in Monroe County residents.
“What makes Monroe County interesting is the role of short-term rentals,” he said. “Short-term rental speculation and record numbers of issued short-term rental permits are seriously affecting the local market. Together with the impact of the pandemic, complex housing issues are now at the forefront of local planning concern.”
Johnson and Koopman will discuss the report’s findings, including the implications for out-of-state property owners and for counties that experienced an increase in residential property sales.
“COVID-19 and Residential Property Sales in Rural Pennsylvania” is the second webinar in the monthly Penn State Extension Winter/Spring 2022 Land-Use Webinar Series that runs through May. The series informs municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.
Other topics and dates in the webinar series include the following:
— Jan. 19: “Traditional Neighborhood Development: Planning Walkable and Connected Communities.”
— March 16: “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design.”
— April 20: “NRCS and USDA RD: Funders That Planners, Municipal Officials and Other Community Leaders Should Know Well.”
— May 18: “How Do Agricultural Practices Relate to Planning in Pennsylvania?”
All programs will be recorded and available for future viewing.
The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits.
In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.
For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website.