With housing in such high demand, it may be tempting to build and design homes the same. After all, if people are buying, what’s there to change? Architect Deryl Patterson of Housing Design Matters says now is the time to do the opposite and examine what exactly is driving the demand for housing. Patterson says it’s because of the pandemic that buyers are seeking homes that better reflect their lifestyles. Prior to the pandemic, homes were mostly used to sleep in, so buyers were more willing to settle. But now with commuting, working, schooling, shopping, dining, and more factors of life shifted by the pandemic, what homes do and offer has drastically shifted.
How much of that has changed? During lockdown, virtually none of that was possible. Homeowners quickly grew attuned to the deficiencies in their houses. Today, America is opening up again – but our behavior has changed.
WORKING FROM HOME
This has been the biggest game changer. Whether fully remote or a hybrid of work from home/go to the office, those who can work from home overwhelmingly have said they will continue to do so several days a week.
SCHOOLING FROM HOME
The 2020/2021 school year saw a hybrid of return to the class or learn from home. Homeschooling has seen a record increase, with 3.7 million in 2020-2021 compared with 2.5 million in 2019-2020 according to the National Home Education Research Institute.
SHOPPING FROM HOME
Many honed the skill of online shopping during the pandemic. Amazon, a company that already seemed to be at the peak of online shopping before the pandemic, doubled their business. Grocery deliveries really took off over the past two years. Once you’ve grown used to having your groceries delivered, why would ever want to push around that heavy shopping cart and wait in lines?