When buyers begin their home search they have a big list of “must-haves” which their ideal home will possess. For some this is a big garage, or off-street parking, for others it might be a double sink in the master bath or hardwood floors, a really nice pool, or a specific school district.
But for a growing portion of the homebuying population one of the very first “must-have’s” on the list is a functional work-from-home office space.
Covid-19 has required that we adjust our lives in any number of ways and for many this means working from home in some capacity. Those who have worked from home will be familiar with the struggle of trying to merge their work-life into their home-life and all the frustration that can create. Back when the pandemic first hit, working from home seemed like a fun, temporary situation where we could sit on the couch, casually typing away on a laptop as we watched TV and sipped coffee. However, when it became evident that working from home wasn’t as novel or temporary as it had originally seemed and that we would have to find ways to be really productive while working from home, other strategies needed to be formulated.
For many homebuyers, having a dedicated office space is something that they are keeping an eye out for when browsing photos of your home online or when walking through your home. Homes which don’t seem like they have opportunities for offices may be passed over in the process. As a seller or seller’s agent, you might have lucked out and already had an awesome, well appointed office to present to your buyers, but for others, this space does not exist in your home right now and that could be a roadblock for potential buyers. If you have a vacant home, this is an excellent chance to turn one of those empty, anonymous-looking rooms in your home into a cozy workspace that buyers will fall in love with.
In some homes the approach is to take rooms which are currently defined for other functions and repurpose them into home offices.
Some rooms that can be easily converted to offices include:
Guest bedroom
Sewing room
Den
TV room
Play room
Finished basement
Other homes may not possess these readily adaptable rooms and require a little bit more creativity and ingenuity. And vacant homes present yet another set of problems as empty space feels smaller both in-person and online, causing buyers to have trouble visualizing the opportunities for office space in a room without seeing it. But there are always options and, when necessary, office space can even be carved out of a living room, a corner of a dining room, or even a closet, or hallway.
Once a space is identified, the next step is furnishing it in a way that defines the space, helps buyers see their potential in it, and, of course, is aesthetically pleasing. Whether dressing up your current pieces or renting from a staging company like us, this doesn’t require an overwhelming amount of furniture or decorative items. A little bit of work can pay big dividends in the sale of your home.
And don’t forget, home stagers are experts in helping create and define these and other necessary spaces in homes, seeing options where you might not. So if any of this feels overwhelming, or if you just have questions about whether it really makes sense to lose a guest bedroom to gain an office – remember that you have resources at your disposal. We can help ensure that the resources devoted to these changes result in houses that sell quickly and for what they’re worth.
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