Working from Home: The New Normal

While certainly many people will return to offices in the coming years, many others will continue to have flexible work locations, working all or part-time from their homes. As I worked with buyers in 2021, they were looking for:

• Dedicated space for home offices, ideally located in a quieter part of the home: This is essential for dual income couples working from home. In the era of Zoom calls, the space must be private and away from playing children and mealtime activities.
• More efficient heating and air conditioning: as more time is spent at home, the cost to cool and heat homes has increased. According to this report, Americans spent $12 billion more on energy during the first year of COVID-19 while commercial entities saved $9 billion. Air conditioning, considered a rarity in many parts of Marin County just a few years ago, is considered more and more important to buyers today due to our more intense summers. 
• Solar electric systems (purchased, not leased!): As energy prices continue to increase, buyers are looking for homes that already have solar panels or are well-suited for solar panel installation. With the average solar panel system having a 6-year payback on investment, and with the federal solar 26% rebate extended another year, solar has become more attractive than ever before. Read my article here on why solar leases are  not a good deal and can be problematic when selling a home.
• Generators or battery backup systems: PG&E blackouts are more and more common during fire season, and with more extreme weather we are seeing weather-driven outages increase in Marin.
• Reliable high-speed internet: I always advise my buyers to check with internet service providers prior to finalizing their purchase of a home. There are some surprising gaps in service, even here in Marin County. When I purchased my own home in San Rafael, Comcast wanted to charge $10,000 to install internet & cable to our address!