Current Home Buying Trends for 2020 and 2021

This year sixty-two percent of Americans worked from home and thirty-seven percent prefer to continue to work from home in the future according to a survey conducted by the National Association of REALTORS®.

Many businesses are actually embracing this opportunity to cut their costs by allowing more employees to continue to work from home.

Being able to work from home has allowed families to look at living further from work as long as they have a good internet connection. This provides them with an opportunity to live in the suburbs where a family can have a bigger house, with more of a yard, and feel less cramped.

Working from home has created our number 1 trend, the home office and sometimes, 2 home offices.

As more accommodations are made for the remote worker, a space for a home office is becoming a huge selling point for people buying new homes. The space can be a converted extra bedroom, laundry room, or even an Arizona room.

Extra living space dovetails into the space trends we are seeing since the kids are spending more time at home as well. A place that is quiet and separated from the noisy part of the home and away from the home office so it doesn’t interfere with the parents working has become part of the mainstay in most homes. Flex space has become a popular phrase since the kids' study space may also end up being the family gym or a craft area.

The 2nd trend we are seeing in home buying is larger kitchens and yes, dining rooms are coming back into style. More meals are being made and eaten at home, so more time is spent in the kitchen and now families are spending time eating together at the dining room table. Kitchens with lots of extra storage are very popular. The storage can be a pantry, extra cabinets, or a center prep isle to improve the experience and efficiency of the kitchen.

Outdoor space with amenities is the 3rd trend we are seeing.

Room for the kids and adults to play, a pool for entertainment, space for a garden, room for outdoor cooking, and entertaining are popular. Pools are the number one outdoor request I am seeing for home buyers. The buyer seems willing to bring in a swing set or build a raised garden. They may be happy with a portable BBQ, but they want to be able to spend time in their new yard, just enjoying the space. Some are looking for sheds and barns to create additional space to work and play. Everyone is feeling the need for a little private space at home and a nice size yard easily allows for the expansion of their living space.

More energy efficiency and more light in the home is the 4th trend. Working, playing, and cooking at home is costing us more in gas, water, and electricity. People are looking for their new home to be energy efficient. They are paying more attention to double-pane windows and energy-efficient appliances.  You will use more water with a garden or a pool, and I know that I turn on the light in my home office when I am in it that would typically be off for most of the day.

As Elvis Presley sang, “A home is where the heart is” and we want our home to be comfortable for our heart and family.