Health crisis: All change in the real estate sector!

The health crisis has been impacting Belgian society for a year now. Experts note that it is currently changing the search criteria for acquiring real estate.

Specific requirements

Terrace, garden, parking, high energy performance, proximity to shops and public transport, etc. These are the conditions frequently stated by buyers of real estate in Belgium. The majority of developers are already responding to requests for terraces. In fact, almost all newer apartments are equipped with an outdoor space.

According to our recent study, 4 out of 10 workers want to live outside the city, away from their workplace in general, in order to enjoy living close to nature. Nearly 90% refuse to travel more than 1 hour per day to get to their workplace.
In general, Belgians do not like wasting time traveling between work and home. In comparison, a large number of our French and German neighbors sometimes take 2 hours to get to work.

Transport

Small towns are increasingly popular with buyers. These more modest towns, such as Waterloo and Genval, have undergone significant development in recent years, allowing them to benefit from dynamic businesses and excellent public transport links.

Change the layout of homes

The lockdowns made people working from home aware of the need for a specific space that enables them to conduct their professional activity from their home. Thus, 80% of people working from home would like to have a room dedicated to remote working. More precisely, nearly 60% of these people would like to work in a separate office, 20% in a space in their living room dedicated to their activity and less than 10% would like a space that could be adapted in one of the rooms of their home.

The coronavirus has generated new requirements for the interior design of homes. Future real estate advertising will have to take this demand into consideration by creating, for example, common areas dedicated to professional activities. This will enable residents to break away from their routine, while benefiting from a quiet professional environment located close to their homes.

Homeowners wishing to renovate their property are also changing their tune in line with these new demands: for example, some are now installing a sliding wall in the living room to easily divide areas in their home. The rooms in homes will have to be more modular and multi functional in the future. Offices will have to be transformed into a pleasant space indoors where people will come together to carry out their activity, such as the kitchen in houses or apartments, which these days is considered today to be the heart of the home.

This health crisis therefore requires real estate developers to demonstrate greater flexibility in the development of their projects (creation of terraces and shared offices, removal of entrance halls, etc.). Setting up more shared spaces to create more places to live will prove to be essential in the post-crisis society.

Are you looking for a new property?

Thanks to our extensive expertise, our new real estate department has become the benchmark for the marketing of new projects.
Whether you intend to live in the property or are an investor, we can advise you on the various opportunities offered by this rapidly developing market. Our team is at your service to develop each project for you according to your expectations.