Buyer demand continued to be the big story in the Lehigh Valley residential real estate market as early spring activity was brisk.

When Brian and Kristine Parkes walked into this home in Mohnton, Berks County, they knew it was “the one.” But competition was tough so Kristine, fund development director for the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, made a unique offer with their bid – a case of Girl Scout cookies.

Agents thought it would take three months to get up to speed again in the industry once some of the restrictions were lifted, such as the ban on in-person house tours, he said. Instead, pent-up demand lifted the market quickly, and activity has been busy ever since.

Home sales in Northampton and Lehigh counties rose 12.4% in November from a year earlier, as fourth-quarter activity remained strong. That’s according to a report by the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors, a nonprofit trade association, which showed settlements climbing to 818 last month.

As it tries to navigate the challenges of COVID-19, Philadelphia-based PREIT, co-owner of the Lehigh Valley Mall, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Sunday, a move it said will help it restructure.

It was a $2,000 bill for an overheated 10-by-10-foot room that led business partners Jonathan Epstein and Jim Seip to launch a new business with a product they’ve developed for commercial real estate managers – the Salamander Reservoir.

Real estate in Pennsylvania is rebounding now that in-person showings and sales are again allowed after being halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The five-story building, which formerly was home to CNA Insurance and more recently to I-LEAD Charter School, will include classrooms and labs, loft-style student housing, dining facilities, retail outlets and other operations, and serve as the centerpiece of the CollegeTowne initiative.

A three-building 380,000-square-foot portfolio of light industrial buildings on Cascade Drive in Hanover Township, Lehigh County has been sold to an investor for $26.7 million.

Governor Wolf’s office tells Lehigh Valley Business that he intends to veto House Bill 2412, which would declare the real estate industry as a life sustaining business.