How the pandemic changed what Aussies want in a home
Before the pandemic hit, the Sydney family thought they were happy in their forever home, but soon uncovered glaring problems.
Mum-of-two Claire Holden thought her family were happily set up in their forever home before the pandemic hit but living “on top of each other” during lockdown saw them brave the “crazy” Sydney market this year and fork out $1.36 million for their dream house.
Three years ago, Ms Holden and her marketing executive husband thought they had found the home they would live in until they were grey and old in Sydney’s south in the suburb of Gymea.
“We bought that off the plan when our daughter was a couple of weeks old and it was a three storey townhouse that we thought ticked all our boxes and had the right number of bedrooms and a backyard,” she told news.com.au.
“But then the pandemic hit and the yard was too small, there was not enough space for the dog and not enough room for my husband to work from home without the kids annoying him. “It just didn’t suit our lifestyle, especially during Covid with that first lockdown.”
The couple sold their house, which was also on a busy main road, in April for $1.19 million and decided to rent for six months so they weren’t “caught up” in the crazy frenzy of property buying, but then just watched prices continue to go up.
The 32-year-old, who works in banking, said not only were they looking for a house that offered a more liveable space, but also for a community to embed themselves in.
After being priced out of a few of their picks, they managed to find a place in Engadine just before Sydney’s second long lockdown.
The mum of two girls, aged four and two, said the move was “extremely stressful” but had made the family feel more “peaceful and grounded”.
The new place has four bedrooms, a big backyard where they recently held their daughter’s second birthday party, separate living spaces and a dedicated study, while Ms Holden said she likes that she doesn’t have to walk up two flights of stairs to try and talk to someone.
She added that prior to Covid-19, their home seemed to be a place where they went to “sleep, eat and wash and then you were back out the door again”.
“Before the pandemic I thought we were happy and the house had what we needed. But (lockdown) just made it really obvious that there were certain aspects of our lives the house couldn’t give us full stop. The yard was so small we couldn’t even put up a paddling pool and we literally had to leave the house to do things,” she explained.
“And we didn’t realise we were leaving all the time for all those activities until the pandemic hit and you realised there was so much missing and that we couldn’t achieve in the house.”
Best of all, Ms Holden feels a great sense of community in their new forever home.
“Everyone will be out walking their dogs and you will stop and say hello and its genuine interaction but where we previously lived, everyone ignored each other and everyone was going about their daily business and didn’t care about each other,” she said.
“We have met the neighbours here and they’re all lovely and we previously didn’t know our neighbours. Up at the local shops everyone seems to know each other. With the school there is already Facebook groups for kids going into schools, so its all just a really genuinely nice environment.”
While the world is slowly returning back to some normalcy, working from home is not going anywhere and Covid-19 has changed the types of homes people are buying.
Aussies are now coveting suburban homes, with a big backyard, pool and ‘zoom room’.
Data shows that the top four key search words related to finding a new home during the pandemic were study, which more than doubled in frequency, followed by outdoor area, pool and shed.
National real estate agency, Upside Realty has found what people are looking for in a house has shifted dramatically during the pandemic.
“A home office, backyard for chickens and playing sports, a shed and different living spaces are now at the top of property wish lists,” said Upside director of sales James Kirkland.
“These are trends that aren’t going away anytime soon either.
“We’re moving back to the great Australian dream – a vacant lot, with a pool out the back and lots of space to entertain.”
For a while urban, studio warehouses were cool, but now it’s all about the Hills hoist and a backyard cricket pitch, he added.
“The pandemic and lockdowns have turned our houses into makeshift workplaces, schools, gyms, and pubs,” Mr Kirkland noted.
“We’re spending more time in our homes than ever before and space is premium. An easy commute to work is no longer as important as it once was. Aussies are investing in homes that have easy access to quality facilities and outdoor space.”
Top nine attributes Aussies now look for in a home
1. Reinventing the shed: The humble backyard shed is seeing a refitting revolution, with Aussies transforming sheds into elaborate man caves, ‘she sheds’, gyms and children’s retreats. The largest producer of backyard sheds in Australia, EasyShed has seen a 450 per cent increase in shed sales over the last 12 months – a large portion of these to women wanting their own patch of the backyard.
2. Zoom rooms: Pre-pandemic an agent would suggest transforming the office into another bedroom for maximum value – today it’s all about the home office. The further removed from the noisy living spaces, the better.
3. Backyard boom: Traditionally a well-styled garden boosts home values by as much as 25 per cent. Today a backyard is more coveted than ever, perfect for basketball and netball hoops, cricket pitches, trampolines and al fresco dining.
4. Vegetable growing and chickens: Developing a green thumb has been a way to pass the time for some, others created veggie patches to ensure easy access to fresh food amid panic buying and grocery store cluster closures. Meanwhile, backyard chicken sales have skyrocketed during the pandemic, with many breeders struggling to keep up with demand.
5. Swimming pools: Pool and landscaping businesses have been run off their feet as more home improvers seek to live out the Australian dream, cooling off in their own backyard pool. The Swimming Pools and Spas Association of Australia said many builders are fully booked for the foreseeable future and struggling to keep up with surging demand.
6. Less open-plan, more cosy spaces: We’re now craving less-open spaces, but more cosy different spaces to supplement living rooms and allow for family members to get away and enjoy quiet time. A screened-in porch, outdoor space, or small den that is removed from the rest of the house adds value.
7. Air ventilation and new tech: Split airconditioner and heating systems that can prevent ‘sick room air’ from being pumped throughout the house or mini-systems with no ductwork are also becoming popular. We’re also decking the home out with new appliances and technology to make working from home more practical.
8. Multi-functional spaces: It’s all about modular spaces and rooms that can be reconfigured depending on the time of day – whether that might be a room for the kids to study during the day and then a home gym in the evening.
9. Connecting the inside and out: Terraces and rooftops provide continuous adjoining areas bringing the inside out, especially on long days at home.
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