Now’s the Time to Find a House That Meets Your Working Needs
How is remote work different from the ice bucket challenge, Tebowing, and the “Gangnam Style” dance? It’s not a fad, and it’s here to say!
What’s the Future of Work?
According to one survey conducted by Upwork, lots of companies are making plans around remote work now, but they’re also thinking long term. Based on the survey results of one thousand hiring managers, the pandemic has drastically changed the remote work landscape.
“The number of remote workers in the next five years is expected to be nearly double what it was before COVID-19: By 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be remote, an increase of 16.8 million people from pre-pandemic rates.”
Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:
Pre-pandemic
- Not remote: 78.8%
- Partially remote: 8.9%
- Fully remote: 12.3%
Projections five years from now
- Not remote: 62.5%
- Partially remote: 14.6%
- Fully remote: 22.9%
Giants like Apple, Google, and Amazon have all pushed back their projected dates for returning to the office, and many more companies are following suit. As this article points out, it’s getting harder and harder for businesses to mandate a return to the nine-to-five. After almost two years of setting their own schedules and enjoying the autonomy of working from home, many workers are reluctant to give up that boost in work-life balance.
The current job landscape reflects all these issues at play:
“Job ads increasingly offer remote work and surveys indicate that both workers and employers expect work from home to remain much more common than before the pandemic,” said Goldman Sachs economists in one note to their clients.
How Has Remote Work Changed Housing Needs?
Remote work has changed a lot about our lives, and our collective housing needs are no exception. Here are three key ways people are changing up how they search for real estate:
Home Offices
By far, the largest change in housing needs revolves around home offices. With the initial move to remote work, lots of homeowners had a choice: move to a new home that accommodated at-home work or get creative with their current living situations.
“This is Debra with customer support. How can I help you today?”
When the shelter-in-place orders came through, people suddenly and unexpectedly needed a quiet place to conduct business at home. With children doing school virtually, that was tricky for a lot of families. If there wasn’t a spare room to shut the door and get some work done, many found themselves stuck at kitchen tables or balancing computers on their laps.
As remote work looks to be an increasingly common situation for workers, more and more people are going to put a premium on homes with an extra room or space that can be a dedicated home office.
Have you been wanting to upgrade to a bigger house? Read here for details about why this is the perfect real estate market to do just that!
Live Anywhere
If you already know your job has been given the green light for full-time remote work, your housing opportunities have skyrocketed. Not being tied to a certain area for your job means you have incredible flexibility.
Depending on your needs and your situation, you could do any of the following:
- Move to an area with a lower cost of living.
- Relocate to an area you’ve always wanted to live…but never could because of work.
- Try a new city, state, or even country.
If you move to an area where homes are cheaper, you could end up getting more home for your money. In the right area, you could end up with some extra square footage, an extra bedroom or two, or other amenities for the same (or even less) than you’re paying now.
If you’re in a position to upgrade, you could move closer to a beach. Or hiking trails. Or the city center. Whatever ideal looks like for you, you’re free to pursue that when you aren’t tied to a physical location for work.
2021: The year many leveled up from beach screensavers to, you know, the actual beach.
Fewer Commuting Concerns
Even if you’re not going to be 100 percent remote, a partial or hybrid working environment still gives you more flexibility than you had. Say, for example, you only need to go into the office once or twice a week. In that case, you might be willing to go for that dream home, even if it extends your commute by fifteen or twenty minutes. When you’re not making the drive every day, it’s less of a demand on your time, resources, and patience.
You might still need to look locally, but expanding the radius of your search opens up lots more houses, possibilities, and options to get exactly what you want in a home.
Has your working situation changed? Are you looking to capitalize on your newfound freedom in the real estate market? If so, then let’s connect. Talk to Ray to experience real estate as it should be!
