The move to close colleges and universities amid the COVID-19 outbreak has led many students and families to wonder if they would get some type of refund for losing access to housing, dining services and other amenities they already paid for.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to shutter all non-life-sustaining businesses to control the spread of COVID-19 has effectively halted most construction in Pennsylvania, sending a shockwave through the industry.

In a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf, officials from the five chapters that make up the Associated Builders and Contractors of Pennsylvania, asked for a waiver for the construction-industry-at-large, and clarification of his executive order to shut down businesses.

As a relationship-driven, people-facing industry, real estate is facing the turbulent effects of COVID-19.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, blood donor organizations are facing major blood shortages, but one local firm hosted its first company-wide blood drive shortly before Gov. Tom Wolf urged all non-essential businesses in the state to close. DLP Real Estate Capital of Hanover Township, Northampton County, hosted a drive on that day at its Lehigh Valley headquarters and two other sites.

After seeing the success of its carriage-style homes in Lower Macungie Township and its other residential properties in New Jersey, a real estate firm plans to add more.

Playa Bowls, a quick-service restaurant chain offering eco-friendly food options, will open a new location in the Lehigh Valley in Lower Nazareth Commons Shopping Center.

As companies look to the Lehigh Valley to move or expand headquarters and manufacturing operations, a key part of their decision-making is the question of workforce. If the workforce exists, that’s where they will go, and it’s a top reason many major companies recently announced plans to build in the region.

That’s according to a local economic expert who shared details of his economic forecast for the Lehigh Valley Business Real Estate & Development Symposium on Thursday at DeSales University.

The National Association of Realtors said a recent survey found that nearly one in four home sellers have changed how their home is viewed on the market because of the outbreak of COVID-19.