House Buying Trends 2022
This is a collaborative post
The 2020s have bought about some interesting changes in the property market. A lot of this is down to people’s attitudes due to the pandemic. Attitudes that have changed and see little sign of reverting back to pre-pandemic thoughts. It’s probably for the better as there seems to be a focus on life quality and work/life balance, which looking back a lot of us feel that this needed addressing. There are several house buying trends emerging which will be prevalent throughout 2022, so I’ve put together my thoughts on them. If you are looking to make a house move this year, it’s worth thinking about them too.
Location Location Location
The London bubble hasn’t exactly burst, but it’s definitely become a little deflated. Partly because people have been priced out, but partly because people can work more flexibly now. So having to commute into a London office once or twice a week is affecting the places people are buying. You definitely get more for your money in neighbouring Essex, Surrey or Kent and people are realising this. They don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive London property when they can spend less, get more space, possibly even a garden if they spend an hour or so on the train a couple of times a week. People are so much savvier about affordability now, using online resources to work out what they can afford to pay on top of living and commuting costs. Eyes are being opened that perhaps the overpriced London life isn’t actually good value for money!
Flexible Spaces
More and more people are looking for properties that are more spacious or more flexible. As people are spending more time at home, whether that’s for work or play, they realise that having a home which will help you complete a comfortable day’s work and then entertain your friends in the evening is a much better investment than rooms that have one purpose only.
Outside Is As Important As In
After spending so much time in 2020 in our gardens (thank goodness for great weather), we all realised how lucky we were to have gardens and those who didn’t have them, moved this to the top of their wish lists for their next house moves. I love our garden and will happily spend hours out there pottering, looking after my plants, eating dinner out there or simply just relaxing as the sun sets.
Having a garden that you can relax in and enjoy is like having an extension to your house. It’s another ‘room’ which you can style how you like and make the most of, especially when the sun is shining. 2022 will be a big year for people looking for gardens included in their property purchases.
Home Offices
As the trend for working from home seems to be here to stay, more people are looking for houses with that extra bedroom which can be turned into an office. Or they are looking for properties with either a garden room or space where they can add one. Also, more people are looking at the affordability of remortgaging to being able to convert garages into extra space for a home office. Remote working is a real possibility in many jobs and people want the space to be able to do this comfortably.
Community Matters
Although people are looking to move out of overpopulated towns and cities, they also want to feel part of the community. Village life is more popular now than it has been for many years. People got to know their neighbours over the last couple of years. They saw more of them, chatted to them, relied on them and actually realised that community was important to them. Of course, there will always be city dwellers who want to come and go and keep themselves to themselves and the same go for the very rural properties, but there’s a definite inclination to be part of a semi-rural village community.
What will you be looking for in your next house move? Are you thinking of moving to the country or the coast? Do you need more space and a home office? What are your thoughts on house buying trends for 2022?
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