How Covid-19 has changed our focus
It’s probably not surprising that the varying levels of restrictions that have been imposed on us over the past few months have got a lot of us thinking about the way we live.
There’s nothing quite like being house bound for days on end to sharpen our focus on how our home works and what we could do to make it more user-friendly.
However, some recent data from Domain has provided some interesting insights into which parts of our homes we have been paying the most attention to in our efforts to live with increased working from home time, and more time at home in general.
According to the data analysts at Domain, demand for home offices, studios and granny flats has soared as cooped-up house hunters go looking for separate areas to work from within the home. Clearly space to relax in at home has also become a priority, with an increasing number of house hunters searching for key words like balconies, gardens, courtyards and retreats.
Given that Victoria has experience the strictest social distancing measures, it was no surprise that our state recorded the biggest change of any state. Believe it or not, searches for properties with home offices over April and May were up by 830 per cent on the previous two months!
Other increases in Victoria included:
- Granny Flats, (up by over 280 per cent);
- A retreat, (a 159 per cent increase);
- A balcony, (up by 63 per cent); and
- A studio (up by 53 per cent).
Data like this provides some interesting insights for homeowners, particularly those who may be considering selling in the next few months. For example, do you have an area of your home that could be used as a home office or a studio? Is there an area that could suit conversion to a granny flat or retreat, even if it’s not currently used that way? Potential in this area could mean that your property pops up in more buyer searches if it is marketed correctly, so don’t overlook the possibilities.
If you would like a confidential discussion about the best way to market your property in the current climate, or even whether some slight changes to your existing home could broaden its appeal with buyers, don’t hesitate to call on our team at Barry Plant Thomastown on 9466 3233. We’re always happy to help.
Regards,
Con Constantinou
Barry Plant Thomastown