Over the last year we’ve all become incredibly familiar with the inside of our four walls.
Some people lucked out with lots of space and light and clever home features, others felt cramped and stressed and frustrated by things they hadn’t even noticed before.
One thing is certain, a year at home has forced us all to reevaluate what we want from our living space. And, what we need going forward as working and spending more time at home is likely to continue for a bit longer.
A new study that analysed the behaviour of people on the Savills website, conducted by Money.com, has revealed the five most popular demands that homeowners are looking for after the pandemic.
Researchers analysed search volume data to understand which property features have increased in demand, and these are the top five new property necessities:
Garden
Unsurprisingly, the demand for gardens has increased by 74% worldwide.
Gardens make the key property highlights in 11 countries, including the UK, France, Greece, Italy and many more, therefore making them one of the biggest and in-demand selling points
Since the pandemic, search volumes for ‘houses with gardens for sale’ have increased significantly. As many city homeowners begin to migrate into more suburban areas throughout lockdown, the opportunities to own properties with gardens is more achievable, and thus the demand for gardens has skyrocketed throughout the pandemic.
High ceilings and natural light
People are demanding higher ceilings and natural light post-pandemic – which again is no surprise after an extended period of being trapped indoors.
Being confined to your house throughout lockdown has given people a craving to bring the outside into their homes. So, we want light – and lots of it. High ceilings also give a huge sense of space to a home, which is important when you’re there all the time.
The study shows that within the last 12 months, search volumes for homes with high ceilings have increased by 15% in Australia, Portugal, Spain and the UK.
It also seems as if more people want more light in their post-pandemic pads as search volume data for Velux window installations have increased by 50% since the beginning of lockdown in March 2020 as well.
Home gym
Home gyms are becoming a staple household feature for post-pandemic houses – which correlates with reports that many people don’t want to go back to traditional gyms and fitness classes.
Since the world closed its doors to public gyms and leisure centres, home workouts have reigned supreme, encouraging many people to convert spare bedrooms or garages into home gyms.
Google search volume data for home gym space increased by 100% in the UK during lockdown. Now that people realise how accessible home gyms are, we can expect to see home gyms becoming a big asset to home-buyers in the future.
Accessible Wifi
Working from home has made accessible Wifi a priority – because nobody wants to be the glitchy contributor on the Zoom call.
Buyers are now prioritising fast internet when looking to buy a house. Search volumes on the availability of fibre optic internet to the property have increased by 91% worldwide since March 2020, and as businesses continue to work remotely the demand will continue to increase.
Views
Picturesque views have become a lockdown must-have. Whether you’re looking out at the ocean, the city, mountains or lakes, something beautiful outside the window is a big selling point after a year of being stuck at home.
The data shows that nice views are now an essential feature for buyers throughout the world. Having access to nature has been essential throughout lockdown and has therefore made balconies and views hugely desirable when buying a house post-pandemic.
Nearly every country has increased their search for panoramic views, particularly in Spain seeing search volume for properties with sea views increase by 113% over the past 12 months.
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