Home sales are on the rise in Decorah--and COVID-19 might be one of the reasons

Local realtors and home mortgage lenders have been especially busy in recent months because of a significant increase in home sales in the Decorah area.

Decorah Bank & Trust home mortgage lender Mike Huinker says, "Summer is normally a busy buying season, but this summer has been especially busy as people are taking advantage of the historically low interest  rates." Huinker says the low rates are fueling both purchasing and refinancing plans. "Decorah Bank and Trust has a lot in the pipeline and the staff is putting in extra time to make it all happen," shares Huinker.

Decorah realtors Mike Harman, Mark Lovelace, and Jeanne Gullekson are seeing the increase in home sales as well.  In addition to historically low interest rates, they attribute the increase of activity to one thing -- Decorah is a great community and people want to live here.

Mark Lovelace of A & J Petersburg explains, "Decorah is enticing for many reasons and more and more people are realizing this. Moving to Decorah is a goal for some that can now become a reality as they find themselves working from home." He adds, "Decorah is an attractive community for retirement and for raising kids. People are moving away from the bigger cities and are seeking Decorah's smaller population density."

Mike Harman of Harman Realty echoes this sentiment and says, "Decorah is a great community with a great market." Kelly Real Estate's Jeanne Gullekson says, "People are coming to Decorah because they have visited and fallen in love with it. They love all of the outdoor activities, great food, and space for social distancing. People from bigger cities are looking for safe havens, and people who used to live here are moving back."

The word seems to be getting out --  Decorah is a great community, and with interest rates as low as they are, everyone agrees it's a great time to buy.