Manitoba Survey: Housing Preferences Have Changed
When a person buys their first home, there are certain things that are important to them. When they buy their second home, chances are those preferences change too, whether it’s more entertaining space, more bedrooms, a yard, etc.
It’s the journey that a lot of homeowners make. The first home is often an “it-will-do” home, just to get their foot into the market. As it becomes more important that the home suits a growing family, a few different houses may become home over the years to accommodate all the family’s needs. When the nest becomes empty, the couple moves into a smaller attached home or condo until health no longer allows and the home is again placed on the market. Of course, there are many exceptions to this. But as a person grows and changes, as a family grows and changes and as life circumstances grow and change, so does what you value in the walls that you call home.
The Covid-19 pandemic was one of those events that has shifted the real estate market. As we are all aware, society has spent more time at home this year than perhaps ever before. Offices are closed, towers are empty, schools moved to online learning, childcare shut down, and there has been nowhere to go in our downtime. Home sweet home. It’s where everything mundane and special has taken place this year.
Recently, the Manitoba Real Estate Association created a public opinion survey for 1000 random Manitobans to see how the pandemic had changed what their preferences were in a home. It’s not surprising to find that there are now more requirements for a home that we have not previously seen.
Here’s what the survey had to offer:
- Almost half of Manitoba residents want a dedicated space to exercise in their home
- Almost 1 in 4 (23%) Manitobans say having a property with a yard is now a much higher priority
- 38% of Manitobans say living in a detached home is now a higher priority
- Extra space for a home office is a higher priority now for 44% of Manitobans, especially women
- 55% of Manitobans living in multi-unit buildings say that being close to parks or green spaces is more important now because of the pandemic
It will be interesting to see how this shifts the housing market in 2021, and the years moving forward. Features in new homes are consistently adapting to what buyers want, so this may just be a year that shifts how new homes are built in Manitoba.