If you’re considering selling your home in the near future, chances are you’re already wondering what, if anything, you should do to make it more attractive to buyers.
Some homeowners jump straight to big renovation ideas. A new kitchen. A bathroom overhaul. A major innovation in the layout. Others prefer to do as little as possible and hope that the market will take care of the rest.
Most people fall somewhere in the middle. If a project is simple, affordable and likely to move the needle, it’s at least worth considering. And that’s true a recent Realtor.com article might catch your attention. It highlights the growing demand for homes with dedicated office space and ‘remote-ready’ facilities. On the surface, that sounds like an easy win. Turn a spare room into an office, list the house and appeal to a large group of buyers who work remotely.
And maybe it is that simple. A well-appointed office can help a home stand out and even attract stronger offers.
But before you pick out a trendy desk, a cozy office chair, and some framed motivational quotes to make it look good, you might want to consider another article from the same source…
It may not be in as much demand as the headlines suggest…
Another recent piece they published paints a very different picture. Instead of highlighting the rise of remote work, it focuses on something many people don’t want to hear: more and more companies are telling their employees it’s time to come back to the office.
This shift is causing many homeowners to completely reconsider their living situation. Some are struggling with whether to sell and move closer to work to reduce their commute. Others realize that the home they bought during the remote work boom may not fit their new lifestyle if they spend less time at home and more time on the road or in the office.
Many of these people probably already have a home office – perhaps one they put together during the pandemic, or one that was a “must-have” when they bought the house. If they end up back on the buying side of the market, will they still want that space? Will they feel the need to have a dedicated office when they return to their desks downtown three, four or five days a week?
Or will they look at that room and prefer it to be used for something completely different?
It’s hard to say. Remote work isn’t going away, but return-to-office policies are certainly changing some buyers’ priorities. The question is which trend will be most important to the buyers who will ultimately walk through it your At home.
…It probably won’t hurt (but ask your agent what he or she thinks first)
Chances are, having a home office won’t hurt the value of your home. In most cases, buyers will view it as a positive. If they want one, obviously they’ll love it. If not, they can probably look beyond what it is and imagine that they could quite easily turn it into another bedroom (or whatever appeals to them).
The real question is whether it’s worth the time, money, and effort to create one if you don’t al have a special space. And that answer is not universal.
It depends a lot on your local market – and even more specifically, the market for homes like yours. For example, what buyers expect from a smaller, cheaper home in the area may be very different from what they expect from a larger, more expensive home. In some areas, a home office is pretty much a given, regardless of size and price. In other cases, buyers care more about a larger living room, a guest area or even a better yard.
That’s why the broad, far-reaching advice: “Everyone wants a home office now!” – doesn’t hold up. Trends are important, but your specific buyers are more important.
When in doubt, the easiest move is to call a local real estate agent who works with buyers every day. They know exactly what people in your price range are asking for, what’s actually more attractive, and whether a home office is a smart upgrade… or just unnecessary pre-market stress.
The takeaway:
A home office could be the feature that makes your home stand out when selling. Or it could be something that your buyer pool doesn’t prioritize at all.
Recent headlines suggest that home offices are a major draw for today’s buyers. Still other headlines indicate that more and more people are returning to work in the office. So there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of whether a sales role should free up space in your home for a home office.
In the end, it probably won’t hurt to have one. But if you’re considering making improvements to maximize the value of your home and sell it as quickly as possible, you’re better off speaking to a local real estate agent. They can give you insight into what buyers in your specific market actually want, rather than relying on trendy headlines.
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