As little as 3 months ago, an office at home would have been a luxury for most homeowners. Now, will they become more the norm?
The 2017 census numbers indicated that 5.2% of people in the workforce worked from home. Of course, during the shelter in place orders, those numbers have bloomed astronomically. It’s still too early to tell how much it has increased. It’s already the opinion of the National Bureau of Economic Research that 37% of jobs in the United States can be done from home. The jury is still out as to how many of these people actually have been doing so.
Further research made by The Jefferies Group in New York recently predicted that the number of people that will be working from home following the shelter in place period will double. Another question that most undoubtedly will be researched is of the 37% of employees that can work from home, how many employers will choose to have them continue to do so? The costs of doing business in an actual office building most certainly will decrease if this is happens.
Of course, if working from home is not something you currently or may never do, then you might wonder if it is worthwhile to add an office to your home. Most experts agree that the trend toward working from home will increase. Consider this; if the trend continues, even if you don’t currently have an office at home, will it be worth adding one to increase your selling potential in the future?
The simple fact is…
Having an Office at Home is Cool.
And they can be so much more than just a room with a few shelves. Some sources note that in 2019, there were 166 million laptops sold versus only 88.4 million desktops. That means the space can now be created with both style and function in mind, as opposed to the focus being solely making space for a large desk. And with WIFI speeds only increasing, the only cord you may need is to supply power to your laptop. Library shelves and a rolling ladder, bamboo flooring, farm lights, reading nooks and even fireplaces…it’s all part of the unique personalities that today’s offices are taking on.
In the past, having a home office most likely did make the home more appealing. Yet determining if it actually increased value to the home has been up for debate. It’s the opinion of this writer that this will all change moving forward after this crisis. Out of approximately 11% of people, or more, that will be working from home after the pandemic is over, how many are truly set up to do so? How many will be looking for homes with an office? How many people would prefer to have the option going forward to work from home if we ever have another crisis? If you’ve been one fortunate enough to continue working from home, were you able to do so comfortably and effectively? If you didn’t have an office, would you have liked having one? Only time will tell how all this shakes out, and we shouldn’t have to wait very long.
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