How has Covid-19 changed what buyers want from a home?
As part of our Global Buyer Survey we took the views of over 700 clients across 44 countries. From outdoor space to home offices and lower density living, we look at what buyers really want post-Covid-19.
2 minutes to read
After a period of confinement, the message, not surprisingly, is that buyers want space. Some 45% of respondents say they are more likely to buy a detached family home than they were prior to Covid-19, with waterfront homes (40%) and rural homes (37%) also in favour. Demand for apartments has remained largely static with 52% of respondents stating their attitude to apartment living has remained the same.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents say they are more likely to work from home post-lockdown, which explains why 64% say a home office is now more important.
But some 32% say their working lifestyle will remain the same as before, suggesting the office still has an important role to play as a hub for innovation, collaboration, education and socialisation.
Not surprisingly, 66% of respondents say large gardens and outdoor space are more important, with the lockdown period having emphasised the connection between wellbeing and the great outdoors.
Privacy is also in demand, 52% say it’s more important, and 33% are more likely to want an annex for family members, perhaps Covid-19 has underlined the desire to have elderly or extended family members close by.
Travel is a critical factor, not just for those wanting to holiday or keen to acquire a base abroad, but for existing homeowners keen to recoup some income from 2020’s rental season.
On this issue, there is a degree of confidence emerging – over a quarter of respondents have either travelled abroad already or will do so within one month of lockdown measures being eased. Another 25% will travel within one to three months, 36% between three and 12 months, and only 13% said they would wait 12 months or more before embarking on an overseas trip.
Read the report in full here
For further information please contact Kate Everett-Allen