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.
