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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
National
Karen Antcliff

Property expert lists 5 features every home buyer is looking for in 2022

The pandemic has changed most aspects of our everyday life - and property is no exception.

One self-professed property geek from Nottingham says that what property buyers are looking for now looks very different to what they were searching for two years ago.

And while some of his observations may not surprise you, others may alter the way you live, adapt or present your home - especially if you are thinking of selling in the near future.

Changing work and lifestyle patterns created by the pandemic have certainly spilt over into house buying and selling.

What buyers are looking for in their next home now very much reflects this shift in lifestyle, according to local property expert, Ian Brown.

Having worked in estate agency for over a decade, the self-professed property geek has also been involved in property development and buy-to-lets.

He says that top of the list in terms of increased interest is eco-friendly homes. "Consumer demand is increasing", he said.

Climate change and rising fuel bills are already prompting home owners to research alternative energy sources. Something that Ian says he has also looked into but says more government assistance is needed in order to make the change viable for him.

He said: "Some government stimulus for this would help. For example, we were recently quoted an additional £10,000 for a ground source heat pump which made it unrealistic. With a grant we would have considered it."

Mr Brown, who works as area director for Purplebricks in Nottinghamshire, a role he's been in since 2013, says that next on the wish list of home buyers is home offices.

The trend was boosted by the 'work from home' rule, which was re-introduced in December as part of the government's plan B restrictions to help combat the Omicron variant.

This week's announcement that the rule has been axed means some workers will be returning to offices, however, many will still split their time between this and home working.

Ian believes house buyers will continue to search out properties with home offices this year.

He said: "Lots of employers are increasingly becoming flexible to where employees work from and this is only likely to continue."

Adding: "Some buyers may make the move back to cities, but they’ll want the outdoor space and larger properties as we’re all spending more time at home".

Which brought him to his third popular feature request - city homes with outdoor space.

Another feature reflecting changing habits is the request from car charging points.

The West Bridgford-born property guru said: "Following the trend of increased demand for eco-friendly, we’ll also see an increasing number of properties with electric car charging points [this year].

"As more people move towards a flexible working routine, we’ll also see an increased demand for faster broadband."

Five features buyers will be looking for according to Ian

  • Eco-friendly homes
  • Homes with the capacity for a home office
  • Larger city homes with more outdoor space

  • Electric car charging points
  • Faster broadband

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