Toby Dowding from John Smale & Co, looks ahead to a time when we can all move freely from our homes.
In houses and apartments all over the country those in lockdown are thinking about life after release. Even now, at the height of the pandemic, people are dreaming of post-virus life. We know they are because they are telling us so.
If this period of isolation from our families, friends and familiar routines has taught us anything, it has taught us about the value of home. No matter how small – and for those in tiny flats without outside space the lockdown has been much harder than for most – our homes have kept us safe.
But that is what homes do and have always done, it is what they are designed to do. They keep unwanted intruders out. Over the past few decades this side of home ownership seems to have taken a back seat to investment and capital growth. That thinking will change. Security, affordability in crisis, comfort in lockdown and space appropriate to need will jump into the driver’s seat – with location, location, location in the passenger seat.
This time in lockdown has given many of us the opportunity to re-evaluate where and how we live. Our shopping habits will have changed further, and so will our methods of communicating and streaming entertainment. In future lots more of us will work from home, having realised that many can be just as effective without a daily commute. Some will want more substantial homes, and some will have decided to downsize or rightsize. Many will elect a lifestyle change, choosing to move to the country, to the coast or to a bustling and lively city centre close to all amenities.
Our needs for what a home gives us will change, but it will not alter the local property market. Coronavirus is a health issue: it is not a property issue. This virus has reminded us what a wonderful, helpful and joyous community we inhabit and the true value of living here.
When we are over this emergency John Smale & Co will be here to understand your property needs and offer suitable and attractive solutions, because if there is one thing we do know a great deal about, it is the value of home.
Toby Dowding
