Changing Customer Needs And Priorities Post-Pandemic

The Covid pandemic shone a light on overlooked areas of our everyday lives, with the arena of the ‘home’ under more scrutiny than ever before. At some point over the past year, all of us will have evaluated our current quality of living, our ambitions for the future and figured out the places we truly feel happiest.

National housebuilder St Modwen, a frequent WhatHouse? Award-winner, has seen that this has led to dramatic shifts in customer behaviour:

• There’s been a dramatic increase in the number of online searches for homes with an outbuilding or annexe in recent months
• Agents report that home hunters are increasingly looking for properties which come with separate spaces to make working from home that bit easier
• 57% of consumers are predicted to have made adaptations to their homes so that traditional rooms can serve new purposes in a post-Covid world

This shift is more evident when we look at the number of people now struggling to achieve a sense of balance when working from home. A global study of 12,000 employees, managers, HR leaders and C-level executives from tech giant Oracle showed that 89% of those aged 22 to 25 and 83% of those aged 26 to 37 said they’d had “more stress and anxiety this year” due to work issues spilling over into personal lives. The main cause is deemed to be a lack of apparent boundaries.

All of this tells us that we need spaces which allow us to make the very most of our time at home and improve, rather than inhibit, our ability to live a balanced lifestyle. Multifunctional spaces are no longer something which are a nice-to-have, they’re a necessity – there’s inspiration and many ideas in the housebuilder’s brand new Options and Upgrades brochure.

The Garden

St Modwen Homes’ garden pods are ideal for those looking to forge a boundary with the main house and, as they’re a blank canvas, they can be transformed into almost any type of space. French doors lead out into nature and large windows attract an enormous amount of sunlight, while insulation ensures you’re kept comfortable at any time of year, creating a fantastic working environment.

The same pod works just as well as an inspiring classroom or even a workout area. By night, this cosy space can be transformed again into a cinema room, a place to read your favourite book or take a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of family life.

Moreover, research has shown that adding a garden building to your property can add up to 5% of value. As restrictions for outdoor socialising have eased and the percentage of all employees in the UK who work from home is expected to rise post-pandemic, this type of flexible living space has never been a more valuable asset to homeowners.

Storage

We’ve all heard the saying “tidy house, tidy mind” and millions are now turning to experts such as Marie Kondo to help them achieve a sense of zen in their own home. New offices and workout areas can quickly become jam-packed with extra equipment and, if left unchecked, this extra functionality can actually increase stress rather than alleviate it.

There are a number of simple upgrades available to all St Modwen Homes customers which can make this whole process much easier and improve the aesthetics of your new property.

For instance, the beauty of additional storage under stairs and walk-in-wardrobes is that they help to maximise space and de-clutter areas with the most foot-fall in the home. By adding designated spots for organisation, you’re likely to have fewer unsightly messes and will be left with more time and energy to do the things you truly love, helping to achieve a greater feeling of wellness.

Decoration and styling

Small touches also make a huge difference to how you feel about your home. When fixtures and fittings are multi-use, spaces can be transformed day after day.

Our striking magnetic wall display can be added to a home office to provide a visual space to plot out your next big idea and lead team discussions. Alternatively, you might decide to install it in one of your family living areas, so that you can look at your favourite images or keep on top of upcoming events and appointments.

This stand-out feature is both stylish and practical, as homeowners can still decorate it with paint, wallpaper or specialist finishes without affecting the attraction of the magnets.

Joanne Winston, sales and marketing director at St Modwen Homes, said: “Flexibility is woven into the design of each and every St Modwen home. Our new Options and Upgrades brochure features a range of high-quality products for every room, from the garden to the kitchen and beyond, and is already proving incredibly popular with our customers.

“Once you've chosen the perfect house type for you, you can browse through the new brochure for inspiration and select those extra features and special design accents which will make your new home truly yours.”

Find out more about current developments, options and upgrades available at stmodwenhomes.co.uk.