Credit: WINK News. Home sales continue to succeed during the pandemic. There has been a large uptick of activity in the real estate market in Collier County. That came months after many people expected the worst with the housing market. Among numerous factors boosting the local housing market included people who wanted to move away from cities up north in 2020 and to a state that allowed more activity. “Look at it,” Price Harding said. “Why wouldn’t we want to live down here, right?” In May 2020, Harding and his wife said they had enough. “We were living in Atlanta in a high-rise that had COVID issues and some street issues, so there were a number of things that caused us to want to move,” Harding said. They weren’t the only ones who wanted a dose of Vitamin-D in the Sunshine State. The Naples Area Board of Realtors announced it broke records in sales for 2020. “We went to 12–plus billion to 18-plus billion in total sales volume in Naples, which is pretty incredible,” said Adam Ruud with Domain Realty. Ruud says the first few months of the pandemic were hard, but that changed. “The desirability to be in Florida, the latest world of events, have accelerated that, made people want to enjoy life truly,” Ruud said. That has proved to be right for the Hardings. “Atlanta is giant, and Naples is just exactly the right size,” Harding said. “It’s charming. There is a ton to do. The cultural opportunities, the restaurants are great, and the people are friendly.” Real estate data also shows, in 2020, closings increased by 19.4% with their biggest month in October. Ruud says they expect the same trend to follow for the rest of the year. He recommends if you are planning to buy a house to act fast. “Straight out of the gate for 2021, it really hasn’t changed much,” Ruud said. “It picked up right where it left off.”