How will commercial real estate look after the pandemic?

Every aspect of life has been altered by the pandemic and its effect on our daily life. But for those who look for silver-linings, the exciting bit is not how we learn to navigate these times but what everything will look like once we emerge on the other side. Businesses, and even individuals, are finding that the learning curves they are travelling and changes that they are making now are going to help evolve their business model and life-styles once we reach, what is being called, the new normal.

Commercial real estate companies are at the sharp end of this. The result of the pandemic experience means that the basic needs that people are going to consider vital in a new home are already changing. Real estate companies will need to accommodate this or fall behind the pack.

People’s working lives have changed no end and the move from office space based businesses to a network of home-based employees, is becoming increasingly the norm. It is believed that once all this is over there will be a large uptake on such a business model for even the biggest companies. And so such people at the sharp end of this will be looking to buy houses which are suitable to be their offices too. Maybe new houses will start appearing with dedicated spaces that deliberately cater to this.

In the future people want to surround themselves with everything that turns their house into an office whilst still maintaining its function as a home. From the most comfortable work areas to the best freshly roasted coffee beans, from an inspiring view out of the window to all manner of technical applications built in and unobtrusively incorporated.

The more adventurous amongst us might prefer looking for an older house with plenty of land around it and building an extension on the home or even a secluded, separate office hidden away out of view. A big job perhaps but the sense of satisfaction you can get from building your custom office is beyond measure. Planning and preparation on this website but it is certainly worth considering, especially if you would rather adapt your existing home rather than go through the trouble and trauma of moving to a new one.

One thing that the pandemic has highlighted is how quickly the environment, without us humans going about our normal business, it can return to a more natural and rejuvenated state. This has meant that more people are looking for ecologically friendly homes to live in and help maintain balance with nature. Features such as reusable greywater systems, solar water tank heaters and energy panels, and other green solutions are all becoming higher priorities for the next house they shop for.

The pandemic has been tough on everyone but out of this hardship, there have been plenty of changes in habit and outlook and even in business working practices which will make the future a better and more enlightened place.