By Elena Cox | Realtor
Walking into a home improvement or furniture store these days can feel like being the last person at the supermarket before a blizzard—with scores of desperate shoppers rifling through half-empty shelves. But it’s not because of an impending natural disaster or a zombie apocalypse.
From major appliances like ovens and dishwashers to lumber to the smallest pieces of pipe, items needed to build or fix up homes have become torturously hard to come by as the global supply chain issues drag on. The unavailability of or delays in receiving critical parts, materials, and labor is worsening the already severe housing shortage and making it harder for folks to fix up the homes they own. And while it’s wreaking havoc most directly on new construction and home renovation, the impact is being felt in all corners of real estate.
