The coronavirus pandemic has had a major impact on supply chains across the world over the last year and a half. As companies were forced to shut down production, many stores and distributors began seeing shortages of items. Even now, as the end is in sight, some industries have still not fully caught up on their backlogs. This has led to shortages and increased prices. Some of these items may be on your shopping list for home projects.
At Raleigh Cary Realty, we wanted to inform you about some of these shortages and how they can affect your home projects:
- Swimming Pools: Stay-at-home orders and the closing of public places meant that families needed fun activities to do from their own home. As a result, last summer and this spring, homeowners snapped up many of the in-ground and above-ground pools. Suppliers say there is a several month backlog right now.
- Kitchen Appliances: This is an instance where the food shortages led to a shortage in certain kitchen appliances—like freezers. As consumers started buying food in bulks, they needed a method to store it. When freezers started flying out of stores, refrigerators and other appliances followed soon after. You may still find one right now, but if you are looking for a specific type for a kitchen remodel, you will likely have to wait.
- Granite: Speaking of kitchen remodels, granite (and other stones) became hard to come by and it still has not caught back up because many source companies went bankrupt or shut down due to lack of workers.
- Lumber: This is not just a COVID issue. Wildfires in the Western US, where many lumber mills are located, has reduced the availability after millions of acres of trees burned down. Combine all of that with new housing construction, and lumber prices are currently at an all-time high.
- Furniture: Many companies were forced to reduce manufacturing capacity to 50% or less in order to maintain proper health protocols during the height of the pandemic. Along with material shortages, that has created a backlog in new furniture shipments.
There is good news. With a little bit of creativity, and a lot of resilience, you can still get your home projects completed. Ask us at any point on which ones would best help your home’s value.
