San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
homestyle Buyer preferences have changed due to the coronavirus pandemic
Ayear ago, if you were shopping for a home, your wish list was likely fairly straightforward. And your decision was probably driven primarily by price and location.
Fast-forward to the present day, and the chances are high that you’re taking a much closer look at the features and amenities included in a home for sale, due in large part to the prevailing pandemic.
The results of a recent sur vey by Homes.com suppor t this assumption. The poll found that, among 1,000 consumers who bought a home during the pandemic or intend to purchase before the end of 2020, COVID-19 has caused more than two in five respondents to alter the amenities they desire in a residence. Now, house hunters are increasingly seeking a home of fice (30 percent), expanded square footage (27 percent), enclosed backyard (27 percent), and/or closed floor plan (15 percent).
David Mele, president of Homes.com, based in Nor folk, Virginia, said it’s not surprising that the pandemic has forced buyers to look at homes in a completely different way.
“The home has also become the of fice, the school, the playground, the gym, and countless other places that are normally external to where we live,” he said. “With no clear end in sight to COVID-19, buyers have had to consider the possibility that the shift from normal might be longterm. With those significant adjustments came significant changes in buyers’ must-haves and nice-to-haves for their future homes.”
Seconding that sentiment is Melissa Okabe, a real estate agent with Alta Properties in Los Angeles.
“Buyers’ preferences have changed because of the increased amount of time we are forced to spend at home. While previously many people just came home to sleep or maybe used their home to enter tain, today’s purchaser is putting much more emphasis on the functionality of the house space for their work, family and personal needs,” Okabe said.
The home features highlighted in the sur vey results aren’t the only inclusions home shoppers prioritize nowadays. For example, Michael Rossi, CEO of New York City-based brokerage Elegran, said Big Apple buyers increasingly value other amenities in properties for sale.
“These include noise barriers and privacy features, especially as more people work and school from home. Open-concept floor plans, which generally combine the kitchen and living room, may no longer work for many homeowners,” he said. “Additionally, people are more interested in air filters, touchless technology, and built-in wellness features as well as private entrances in condo buildings that allow owners to enter and exit without interacting with other residents or staff.”
Ask Suzi Dailey, real estate agent with ONE Luxe in Laguna Niguel, and she’ll tell you that main floor guest suites are also more popular lately.
“That’s because, if you have an elderly parent, you can move them in and keep them safe there. Alternatively, a main floor guest house can be used as a nice office or work area,” Dailey noted.
Unsurprisingly, swimming pools have been all the rage this past summer, too, she added.
“And homes with larger backyards and more acreage for orchards, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, tennis courts and basketball cour ts have become
more attractive in upscale markets,” according to Dailey.
If you are planning to purchase a home soon, give careful thought to short-and long-term needs.
“If this year has shown us anything, it’s that we need to expect the unexpected and learn to be flexible,” Mele said. “Approach a home for sale with a mindset of versatility. Can the guest bedroom also ser ve as an of fice and a workout space? Can the finished basement be par titioned into classrooms for the kids? In the shor tterm, multifunctional spaces can alleviate the pain points of spending more time at home. And long-term, they can allow families to more easily modify those spaces to meet their changing needs.”
Many pros believe that the latest buyer preference trends will remain intact post-pandemic.
“The trend for a home of fice and enclosed backyard, as well as more green space, should remain. As many people are valuing outdoor space, this may also be indicative of a lifestyle trend that will last past the pandemic,” Okabe said.