Will Remote Working Change Demand For Homes?

26th August 2020

While many of us are still coming to terms with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a desire to see what has changed in the housing market. There has been a lot of focus on the increased demand for homes with a garden space and with more room, but these aren’t new priorities for buyers.

However, the focus on home working is likely to be a more pressing issue, and various studies suggest that remote working will be commonplace as we move forward. If you want to know more about the impact of remote working on buyer demand, get in touch with Merrys, and we will be more than happy to assist you.

Remote working is tipped to continue

Attic Self Storage has carried out research which indicates 41% of office workers expect to continue working from home. 44% of respondents said that home working was the most productive way for them to work.

The company also spoke to office workers, broken down across 67% working for SMEs and 33% working for sizable firms. 28% of this group said that company bosses would be unlikely to call employees back to work in a costly office space.

The study compiles the most productive places to work from home as being:

1. Kitchen table / dining area

2. Sofa / living room

3. Bedroom

4. Home office/ study

5. Garden / garden shed

6. Balcony

7. Garage

8. Children’s room

9. Campervan

10. Bathroom

Frederic de Ryckman de Betz is the founder and CEO of Attic, and he said; “We have seen an increase in business leaders and Kitchen Table Talent opting for storage over office space or upsizing their properties over recent months.”

New business opportunities will arise from remote working

Sophie Scott is the Senior Partner and global Managing Director of technology at FleishmanHillard. She spoke about remote working, saying; “Our research shows that the vast majority of people don’t want ways of working to just return to ‘normal’, as some employers start to plan for a return to physical offices. Jobs we previously thought could only be done from the traditional workplace have adapted, and workers have discovered they enjoy many parts of remote working.”

Sophie continued by saying; “It’s not all been easy though, with many identifying the inability to communicate in person as a key challenge, as well as finding it harder to separate work and home. It’s clear though that many of the communications tools that we have been completely dependent on during lockdown will play a far greater role in day-to-day work than they did before Covid-19 suddenly disrupted our lives.”

If you have an interest in the Northampton housing market, please get in touch. If you are looking to sell your home, please contact us and we will arrange for a valuation.

We know a lot of people are looking for guidance and assistance right now. If we can be of any assistance, we will. Therefore, if you have any housing market questions, please contact Merrys today, and we will be happy to help.