The shift to homeworking has driven demand for properties with a home office. Even as offices reopen the improvements in technology and the way businesses have adapted working practices mean that homeworking is now a very viable longer term alternative to asking staff to commute daily into offices. This means the likelihood is that the demand for a home office will continue for a long time to come.
This change in lifestyle has seen property with a home office achieving higher asking prices and a quicker sale. At Paton & Co we would estimate that about 40% of buyers we have spoken to recently have mentioned the desire for a home office (or a spare room to work from), and they see good internet as an absolute must. The easy commute to the city centre and need to be next to good transport links appears to have slipped out of top spot on the buyers priority list.
This is backed up by research carried out by Rightmove which shared how people’s home moving needs have shifted. Results showed “Half of the people surveyed (49%) said they are currently working from home. Of those, one in five (21%) said they would like to work from home permanently, and 55% said they would like to work from home more but still occasionally go in to work”
Top 5 Buyer Priorities Today:
- A bigger garden (or access to one)
- A bigger home
- Access to parking space or a garage
- A better home work space
- Live closer to parks & green spaces
Advice For Paton & Co Sellers:
With our buyer database placing increased importance on the need for a home office, if you don’t have a space for a home office we will ask you one simple question, could you add one? Adding a home office space could be achieved in a number of ways, whether you decide to simply create a workstation in a spare bedroom or build a summer house or outbuilding at the end of the garden as a dedicated home office space. In the current climate any money spent on construction costs is almost certain to give a return on the investment. If it is just staging your house to tick this box then we suggest investing in a desk and positioning your laptop on it for when your home is photographed, as your home is likely going to be more appealing to potential buyers if it already has a space designated to homeworking. Remember your buyer might not want to spend money creating this space themselves.
As your estate agent we always work hard to highlight your homes most desirable features, so if currently a home office can make it more saleable we would ensure your property marketing details include:
- Details of your home office in the property description
- We will make sure we mark your home office space on the floorplan
- We will instruct out professional photographers to thoughtfully capture photographs of the home office
The cost of building a home office will of course vary depending on circumstances and your own DIY capability but we have a couple of good contacts we could pass on should you wish, including speaking to our friends at The Shed Company or In & Out Garden Houses
Of course the more elaborate and luxurious your home office is the more expensive it will be but we would expect that you could pay between £2,000 to £15,000 depending on size and spec!
You will need to factor in a concrete base and also planning permission costs if it does not fall within the category of permitted development. When it comes to planning permission, unless you are in a particularly restrictive area, a summer house or home office will fall under the category of ‘permitted development’ and as such won’t require planning permission. Do however always check this so your don’t have any issues at a later date.
Research Source : Rightmove
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