Will the working from home trend continue?

Exmouth auctioneer Scott Gray (Image: Scott Gray)

With changes over the past year to how many of us work, working remotely is now the new normal for a high proportion of workers.

The current trend of working from home has meant that many have much more flexibility in where they choose to live.

This has created a new demand in the property market and will therefore be interesting, and of significance, to see if this trend will continue.

A current popular item on the wish list for a new home is a space for home working.

Along with second home purchasers, add in those that can now relocate due to home working, prices and demand in the South West remains high.

As I reported in a recent column the property market currently is, and is predicted to continue, to be a very busy time.

Going back ten years remote working was rare and not necessarily seen as a positive thing.

With views held that employees would be distracted and less effective. Fast forward to now, and with improvements in technology, this view is very much a thing of the past.

Over the past decade increased access to both computers and the internet at home meant that when the pandemic hit the move to remote work allowed many to continue as normal from their home office.

Many businesses have now dropped leases on office space as they have seen the benefits and savings with a remote team. Businesses have seen the positive benefits of employees empowered to work from home and more effective with a flexible working arrangement.

Communication is supported by advanced technology and options to hold remote meetings.

Who would have thought just over a year ago that we hadn’t even heard of Zoom.

Of course home working differs by industry and there are many industries where homeworking is not an option. For myself and those in the property industry it will be interesting to see how in the forthcoming months this current trend will play out.

As restrictions lift will this see a return to office working?