When, on 16 March 2020, the then prime minister told everyone to work from home if they possibly could, the concept of home took a new and unexpected turn.

As the weeks and months went by our homes multi-tasked as offices, classrooms, crèches and gyms. Our four walls were bulging; the race for space had begun.

While much of what became the new normal has now been put aside, Savills latest 1,500-strong survey of prospective home movers in the prime property markets, together with a poll of more than 300 of our residential sales agents, shows that some pandemic trends are here to stay – for the foreseeable future at least.

The results reveal that living close to family, having access to outside space, and somewhere to work from home are still at the top of the wish list, suggesting the race for space will continue to run in 2023.

A vast majority (93 per cent) of the agents we asked said the value of home life is more important than ever as buyers take a longer-term view when searching for their perfect home.

Fewer than one in 10 buyers anticipate owning their next home for under five years, while 60 per cent expect to own it for at least 10. Meanwhile a quarter of aspiring buyers are currently looking for their ‘forever’ home', with a 20-year-plus timeframe in mind.

Despite a return to offices and normal social routine, the ability to work from home is still important for many, with 58 per cent of agents reporting that a space to work from home remains a key priority for buyers. Country living also remains popular. When asked what type of location is most attractive, the majority of would-be buyers in our survey opted for small towns, villages and the countryside.

Buyers are also continuing to prioritise the proximity of parks and open spaces, and family, above transport, amenities and schools. Only in London has living near a train or Tube station overtaken parks and open spaces since our previous survey, with proximity to family in fourth place behind shops and amenities.

Almost three years after the start of that first lockdown it seems the things that mattered most to those able to choose where and what to call home then, remain firmly ingrained in the buyer psyche and will continue to shape the prime housing market in the year to come.

Further information

Contact Frances McDonald or Andrew Perratt

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