How has our working situation affected people’s home buying needs?

Due to its population density and vast numbers of those commuting in confined spaces on our public transport network, the majority of city based office workers expect to continue working from home for the foreseeable future.

Many central London offices remain closed to this day and thanks to improvements in technology, homeworking is now a viable alternative to asking staff to regularly commute into an expensive office space. The effect is that many London residents are now reconsidering if they need to live close to a central London office.

Even those of us not based in London have learnt how to make a success of homeworking especially if there is somewhere at home designated as a work space which is separate to the living accommodation.

We estimate 30% of our buyer enquiries are now talking about wanting to buy a property with space for homeworking.

Research from Rightmove.co.uk demonstrates how people’s home moving needs have shifted.

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 into work.

However, the desire to regularly attend a central London office and enjoy time with colleagues hasn’t evaporated overnight; which means that whilst people are keen to move out of the city, they still want to be able to return when required.

The need to occasionally commute back to the office puts much of Surrey and the suburbs of south west London at the centre of many London buyer’s property search.

The study indicates an interest in a transition towards more frequent homeworking which could lead to a shift in what people prioritise in their search for a home. Good internet and a spare room are now becoming more important whilst ‘commuting time to the workplace’ is less important.

Top 5 Buyer Priorities Today:

1. A bigger garden
2. A bigger home
3. Access to parking/garage
4. A better home work space
5. Green spaces nearby

Advice For Sellers:

If buyers are placing increased importance on finding a property that has a home office, your home is going to be more attractive if it has a space designated to homeworking.

Ensuring your estate agent highlights your home office can make it more saleable, which could mean a quicker sale. Check your property advertisement includes:

• A mention of the home office in the written description
• Marking your office on the floorplan
• Include photographs of the home office

Sellers stand a good chance of achieving an increase in the sale price if a home work space is present, because incoming buyers won’t have to spend money creating one once they have moved in.

Read on for more about building a home office and see some examples we currently have for sale.

Building A Home Office

Home work spaces can be created 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.

Any money spent on construction costs is almost certain to give a return on the investment in the current climate.

The Cost Of Building A Home Office

Permanent outbuildings can vary significantly in their size, construction and therefore cost.  There are many prefabricated options available that a DIY enthusiast can easily construct themselves.

Expect to pay between £1,500 to £10,000 for a home office depending on size and specification.

The more elaborate and luxurious your home office, the more expensive it will be. 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.

Planning Permission

When it comes to planning permission, unless you are in a particularly restrictive area like a national park, a summer houses or home offices will fall under the category of ‘permitted development’ and as such won’t require planning permission. As long as it satisfies the following conditions:

• The new building is not more than 2.5 metres high
• It does not take up more than half of the area of the main building
• No more than 2 metres of your neighbours boundary

Properties With Home Offices

We have taken a look at some of the most current properties that we and our sister company Curchods, have for sale or have recently sold, to find a selection with a home office in the grounds.

Now under offer, this four bedroom home in Cranleigh is a perfect demonstration of how attractive a summerhouse that could be used as a gym/office is to incoming buyers.

Another recent sale agreed with a home office. Built circa 1890 this immaculately presented three bedroom end-of-terrace period property also offered an attractive rear garden with a fully functional home office separate to the main dwelling.

Working from home has never been better than this. Not only does the 4 bedroom home in Shepperton enjoy a a 50′ deep water mooring, there is also a spacious summer house which could easily be converted to a home office, so you can commute straight from the office to the banks of the River Thames