Although COVID is starting to fade into the background, it’s left some new market trends in its wake. Here are some of the top new trends in corporate housing.
The Importance of Connection
First of all, everyone seems to have upgraded their pet situation, meaning if you didn’t have any pets before COVID, you probably at least got a houseplant. If you already had a houseplant, you probably got a dog.
Jokes aside, there has been a sharp increase in the amount of households with one, if not two, pets. Living in pet friendly buildings, especially ones with dog runs and pet amenities, has become an increasingly important criterion for renters.
Secondly, the importance of human interaction in daily business and customer service contexts has grown as well. Although Suite Home clients have always been able to access team members for their customer service needs, talking to live members of the Suite Home team has become increasingly important for clients who value direct answers from people over automated bots now more than ever.
The Many New Functions of Home
Having a comfortable living space doesn’t cut it anymore. These days, residents need their living spaces to also function as their offices, recreation spaces, and even home fitness areas.
Balconies and outdoor spaces are now preferred more than ever as well.
Residents also want functional furniture to serve the many new functions of their homes. Desks and high end executive office chairs have become a “must” for many. In response, Suite Home is actively working to switch out traditional desk and chair setups to more formal business sets with a minimum of one set up per apartment, with two set ups when an apartment has multiple occupants working from home.
Changes in Commuting Behavior
One of the most noticeable changes from a housing standpoint is the amount of public transit riders who’ve switched to driving. Parking has become extremely limited. Pre-COVID, many buildings that were intentionally built close to public transit didn’t build much parking, which allowed developers to qualify for the tax credits allotted to commuter-friendly properties (Transit Oriented Developments).
Additionally, living near transit seems to be slightly less important to residents who are venturing out from the city center into more neighborhoods now that being minutes from their offices is no longer a top priority.
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