How will house builders respond to the rise of the home office?

Home working is here to stay. Recent research suggests that almost nine in ten British workers are in favour of permanent working from home arrangements, with a rise in remote working associated with a number of wider benefits, such as dramatic drops in emissions and reduced costs for employers.

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As the last few months have demonstrated, however, your home environment can make a big difference to your productivity. Cramped working arrangements and whole families tussling for space on dining tables has meant that many more of us are reassessing our homes and considering how we can carve out a ‘home office’.

This presents a big opportunity for house builders. The state of the housing market may still be uncertain right now, but it’s clear that there is a need for high-quality housing that addresses our need for spacious, comfortable and well-built home working spaces.

More than just a roof over our heads

The role of the home has never been more important. For years, busy professionals have had to endure lengthy commutes, with their homes serving as little more than dormitories. Location has been the watchword of the buying and letting market for years, as workers seek a home base close to important transport links.

But with more and more companies signalling no return to the 9-5 office environment, the time we spend under our roofs has increased considerably, and with it our whole sense of what we want from our homes.

Buyers and renters now need to know that their homes will offer them the space they need to get their work done. Whether it’s a dedicated home office environment, light and airy living spaces to get comfy with your laptop, or even a terrace for al fresco conference calls, housebuilders now need to highlight exactly what they can offer to today’s remote worker.

Home is where the heart is

More than ever, housebuilders and developers need to be savvy with their marketing, emphasising the emotional pull of home and the impact of comfortable and well-designed environments on our productivity and wellbeing.

Whether it’s highlighting how different spaces can be used for home working, or showcasing how the whole family can find their own slice of peace and quiet within your properties, prospective tenants and buyers want to know exactly what your property offers to them in this new normal.

Utilise new marketing tools such as AR and VR to bring your homes to life, showing how different spaces can be used for family and work life. Talk to your customers about exactly what it is that they want from their homes. And be creative with design; the traditional family home as we know it has changed radically, and customers want to be inspired by totally new ways of living and working.

Challenging times provoke real creativity. As remote working becomes the norm and we start to use our home spaces differently, developers and builders will respond with innovation and creativity the likes of which we’ve never seen before.

We work with a number of property developers and landlords to creatively engage with customers and showcase innovation within the property sector. Get in touch with us on 0191 375 9150 to find out how we can work with you.