A lot has changed in 2020 with COVID-19 inevitably reshaping the way we live.
As West Australians take on lifestyle shifts like working from home, it's interesting to see what features buyers want when house hunting.
Since COVID-19 hit hard in March and WA went into lockdown, searches for sale on reiwa.com were at an all-time low, which is no surprise as the economy began to suffer and businesses were forced to close or cut staff.
Having a shed and granny flat seemed to be the most popular features during the year to date, but what other features were buyers looking for during COVID-19?
1. Activity room
A room for activity had a steady increase in searches on reiwa.com as a result of COVID-19 jumping 97.9 per cent in April, 16.8 per cent in May and a further 52.2 per cent in June.
With the COVID-19 restrictions being most felt in April and not to mention daycare and some schools shutting down, it's not surprising that many families considered having an activity room in their house to be an essential feature.
Whether this is a family room for the kids to play in while the parents work from home, or a second living room, it's clear that having extra space while in lockdown was important to many buyers.
2. Shed
A shed has always been a practical feature of a house, but even more so since the onset of COVID-19 with people requiring their own space for several different reasons.
A shed can be used as a workshop or hobby space for when it's not appropriate to do so in the house, like painting or woodwork.
In April, searches for a shed were up 54.05 per cent with 989 total searches. Between May and October searches reached above 1,000 every month.
3. Study
During COVID-19 many companies shifted to a remote working environment and since then many employers and employees are opting for a balance of working in the office and at home on a regular basis.
In March, searches on reiwa.com were the lowest all year with 166 total searches for a study. In April, this started to go back up to pre COVID-19 times, with 290 searches, an increase of 74.7 per cent. Since then, searches for a study have seen a steady increase with 373 searches in May and 565 searches in June.
It's safe to say that many buyers considered having a study as a priority for them, which makes sense with people working from home as a direct response to COVID-19.
4. Outdoor spa
Outdoor spas became more popular after COVID-19 struck in March, with reiwa.com searches up 64.8 per cent in April, and then steadily increasing in May and June.
During March and April, a lot changed in terms of what we were allowed to do on the weekends. With restrictions in place, West Aussies had to stay home to 'stop the spread' and some people have continued this trend even post lockdown.
Because of this, people are opting to entertain at home rather than go out or are looking for features which make a house perfect for isolation, so people don't have to leave the house.
5. Granny flat
Granny flats were relatively popular all year round, however peaked in May with 1,061 searches on reiwa.com. This is a 41.28 per cent increase on April which had 741 searches and when compared to March it was a 41.7 per cent increase.
Granny flats remain a popular extension to a house as it adds value and is convenient in many ways. During COVID-19, one thing that was learnt was the importance of having your family close by with many families being separated for a period of time.
Having a granny flat means it's easier to have extended family visit or it can be set up as a rental property, which is a smart move at the moment with limited rental stock available in WA.
6. Theatre
Also falling into the entertainment category is a theatre room, with many people realising they don't need to leave the comfort of their own home to do the things they love.
There were 196 searches for a theatre room in April, up 34.3 per cent compared to March and the trend continued in May which was up 12.8 per cent and increased a further 71 per cent in June.
7. Broadband
The most searches for broadband occurred in January with 311 searches on reiwa.com which is typically when we see activity start to increase once the festive season ends.
From here searches dipped to 149 in March, however many buyers soon saw the need for broadband within their property searches with a 67.8 per cent in April to 250 searches, then a further 18 per cent in May to 295 searches.
Clearly, buyers consider things like fast internet to be a necessary feature when looking for a home, which not only ties into the lifestyle aspect of working from home but also staying connected with their loved ones.
With some family members being stuck overseas or over east, this also creates the need for reliable internet to be able to stay in contact while travelling isn't an option.
So, while things slowly get back to normal, we have started to put more focus into ensuring our home has everything we need as we adapt to the lifestyle changes that are here to stay.
Number of searches on reiwa.com
*data in the above graph shows the number of searches conducted on reiwa.com from January 2020 - October 2020.
More information
Did you know on reiwa.com you can select the features you want to look for in a property? Just go to advance search.
See what's for sale now on reiwa.com.