I was pissed because I didn't invest in my portfolio to buy a house during the pandemic and missed out on pandemic gains - but checking how much money my portfolio lost, I made more money to keep those in cash.
It was hard to predict that real estate would see pandemic gains. It's an asset that people need to leave their homes to inspect, and comes with face-to-face time with multiple parties. In a locked down society, there were plausible reasons to assume that the real estate market would be dampened.
Predictions are always hard. I bought my house during the last housing 'crash'. It was my first house so I didn't have one to sell, so it was easier. But, I was being told by friends and online that things could drop more, wait, etc... At the end of the day, I needed a place to live, I could afford it, and my job was reasonably secure.
Now people ask how I timed it perfectly and the fact is I didn't. I simply made personal financial decisions based on my situation at the time.
