Community Trends
How do we connect together today to live a better future tomorrow?
Strutt & Parker’s InSPire:LIVE webinar series reveals heightened importance of connection and community for today’s homebuyers
Leading property consultancy Strutt & Parker has concluded its hugely successful six-part InSPire:Live webinar series, which attracted more than 2,400 attendees over the past six weeks.
The webinars covered a wide range of topics including conversations on the market and the economy, the virtual property world and future living generations and offered a unique insight into the psyche of today’s home mover. One of the most lively and engaging episodes called ‘Town or Country?’ included a live poll to attendees asking whether they would look for an urban or rural property in their next home, with almost three quarters of respondents (74%) saying they would be looking for a property in the countryside.
Vanessa Hale, Director in Research at Strutt & Parker, comments: “It’s become very clear from our engagement with clients via the webinars in recent weeks that home buying desires have shifted dramatically. Whilst digital connectivity has never been more crucial, people are also prioritising homes in rural or village locations, which they perceive to have stronger community spirit and more connected neighbourhoods. Gardens, larger living spaces and dedicated home offices are also high on the agenda, whilst people’s desire to be close to transport links has diminished.”
For the final instalment in the InSPire:LIVE webinar series, entitled ‘Community Trends’, Strutt & Parker’s panellists were joined by guest speaker, author and entrepreneur Linzi Boyd, to debate community trends, what will dictate our movements post-lockdown, the way we live our lives in the future, and how these will impact the choices we make when it comes to our homes.
Linzi Boyd said: “Community is a trend for the future. Trends speed up during a recession, particularly in a pandemic, because habits change and new market needs occur. We are moving into a space of both off and online. We call this ‘back to nature’ with a fusion of technology. We’ve been living in a virtual world (throughout lockdown), and now people are craving human interaction and community, but retaining that high-tech engagement.”
In Strutt & Parker’s ‘The Future Living Generation’ webinar, Rusticarians (or rural entrepreneurs) were identified as one of five key tribes that will be impacting the housing market post COVID-19.
Technology is key for this group of people, who heavily rely on digital connectivity to work from countryside locations across the UK.
Vanessa Hale, Director in Research at Strutt & Parker explains: “Rusticarians are entrepreneurs and creatives who bring dynamism to the rural economy. This tribe of people are diverse countryside dwellers who embrace new approaches to work and lifestyle. Long before lockdown, rural areas already had much higher rates of homeworking than cities or urban areas. This trend has accelerated rapidly in recent months and looks set to continue.”
While Rusticarians have previously accounted for a small proportion of the population pre-lockdown, a live poll conducted on the third webinar of the series, showed that just under 30% of attendees identified with this category, the largest of any tribe.
Due to its popularity, the InSPire:Live webinar series will be returning in September. Open to all, it will continue to cover the latest residential property market trends, insights and practical advice.
All six of the webinars can be watched back via the Inspire Hub on the Strutt & Parker website, visit: https://www.struttandparker.
