When the Covid 19 pandemic hit, dedicated home offices went from being a nice perk to an absolute necessity. Flash forward six years later and realtors are saying home offices are not only still on the must-have list but they are going to stay there.
“Almost all my clients need one home office, at least,” says Tali Berzak, real estate agent with Compass in Brooklyn, NY. Before Covid, says Berzak, working from home on a few summer Fridays didn’t seem to warrant a separate office space, but since then, a world of remote communication has opened up and changed the way businesses operate. Today, even with many businesses calling employees back to the office, many homeowners find themselves working from home more days throughout the year even if they are no longer full time. “The hybrid trend is not going away,” she adds.
“Every house I have sold since 2020, over the price of $3 million has a designated home office,” says Annalise Stack, a real estate agent with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty in Rye, NY. “Although many people have returned to work, the workplace has become so global that ‘normal’ business hours no longer exist.” She notes that particularly in the luxury market, homeowners tend to travel frequently for business and often work from home when they are not on the road. The home office allows flexibility to work in and out of the corporate office.
Stack recently had clients who sold their home in June because they didn’t have a home office. “They purchased a new home a mile away with a stunning office that he uses whenever he is in the area since his job has him traveling internationally every week,” adds Stack.
“I think Covid changed things for pretty much ever,” says Peter Zaitzeff, a broker with Serhant. in Manhattan. “When I look at home offices, they are still very important—just as important as amenities spaces for health and wellness like cold plunges and dedicated gyms.”
Private and Quiet
The consistent demand for home office space is what inspired Steve Aivalis, founder of Aivalis Developers of Stamford, CT, to design his latest project, Bedford Creative, a residential apartment building in Stamford in which each unit in the building has its own corresponding office space right across the hall, complete with window and sliding door for privacy. It was his own personal experience being a renter, says Aivalis, that inspired him to design the layout. “Being in the community and seeing people flood the common rooms with laptops but then there's kids playing and there's music on” made him realize the need for “real dedicated space for you to work or for you to even just get out of your apartment and have some private time.” As opposed to the building offering common spaces and conference spaces, or in-unit offices, these private offices are separate from both home life and common areas. “You have complete control,” says Aivalis. In Stamford, where smaller, boutique apartment buildings fit more seamlessly into the neighborhood, the notion of private, detached spaces provides appeal. The building’s industrial-modern decor with exposed pipes and brick accents “meets the cityscape very well,” says Aivalis. “It gives you that smaller, cozier kind of boutique feel than a larger development—a little more personality.”
Making the Shift
Berzak notes she works closely with developers all the time and the need for home office space is always top of mind for new construction today. While there have always been interior spaces in the design of apartment and condo units, “the question is, what do you do with those interior spaces,” adds Berzak.
Previously, the emphasis was on more space for bathrooms, but that has shifted, she said, to including fewer bathrooms to make room for home office space. Designing an apartment or condo with an interior home office space that does not have a window but does have a skylight to let in natural light provides an affordable option for those who want the extra room but don’t want the increased price tag that comes with a three-bedroom unit.
Meanwhile, among townhomes, properties with five bedrooms and dedicated office space are gaining appeal. One of those bedrooms can be used as a guest room and a second home office, she adds. This has led to a trend in Murphy beds coming back in fashion for many homeowners. Berzak said it is a great way to showcase the versatility of your extra bedroom when you are showing a property.
Zaitzeff is a broker for The Mandarin Oriental Residences, Fifth Avenue, a new residential building on Fifth Avenue, which has prioritized dedicated spaces for work-from-home both in common areas and in private units. He sees residential construction projects now often involve a variety of options for buyers so they can work in an environment that works best for them. He agrees that people are looking for fewer bathrooms and more work space. “Nobody needs five and a half bathrooms for an apartment, right?” he adds. In addition to private home offices in the Mandarin units, the building has additional dedicated workspaces and its own private restaurant. “People will be working from there as well,” says Peter.
In the suburbs, among luxury single family homes, notes Stack, many homebuyers are looking for sound-proof office spaces, high speed wifi and smart lighting that they can control from their phones among the high tech upgrades out there. “The most important qualities in a home office are privacy and acoustics,” adds Stack. She currently has a listing at 23 Pheasant Lane in Pleasantville, NY, with two home offices, one on the main floor with privacy and built-in storage as well as views of the back garden with waterfall feature, and a second-floor open office in the landing where the spouse can work with lots of natural light and have views down to the first floor.
“So what we've gone back to, which I think is great, is more livability,” says Peter. More space dedicated to common spaces where you can work together and collaborate and more privacy when you need it allows people to make better use of their home and their time. “It’s improved functionality.”
The Time is Now
If you are considering making a move to buy or sell because you need dedicated office space, Peter says, strike now. He expects little to no inventory in 2027, which is going to drive prices in Manhattan up. “I’ve never seen a consistently stronger market at least at the luxury level than I’ve seen in the last 12 months,” says Peter. “I don’t see that slowing down until there is nothing left to buy.”
By Kristan Zimmer