The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the operations of real estate agencies and the attitudes of their clients in Poland

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the article is to evaluate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the operations of real estate agencies and the attitudes of their clients in Poland.

Research Design & Methods: A survey questionnaire with open-ended questions distributed among all Polish real estate agents associated in the Polish Real Estate Federation.

Findings: The Covid-19 pandemic changed the operations of real estate agents and the attitudes of tenants and landlords. Real estate brokers turned to remote work using state-of-the-art technologies, landlords became more flexible to the market conditions, and tenants were looking for flats in a better technical condition with a balcony or garden.

Implications & Recommendations: The changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in real estate agencies’ operations and in the attitudes of their clients in Poland are permanent and highly likely to uphold in the post-Covid-19 times. The findings provide a reference for new housing projects as well as the way real estate agents operate.

Contribution & Value Added: This is the first study considering the entire housing market in Poland and analysing the durability of the Covid-19 pandemic impacts.

Keywords

housing market, Covid-19, housing brokers, housing preferences, real estate agencies

Author Biography

Bartłomiej Marona

PhD, Associate Professor at the Krakow University of Economics, Department of Real Estate and Investment Economics, Krakow. His research interests include real estate economics and real estate management.

Mateusz Tomal

PhD, Assistant Professor at the Krakow University of Economics, Department of Real Estate and Investment Economics, Krakow. His research interests include the housing market, real estate economics, land market, econometric modelling, and local government efficiency.

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