James Moody, managing director of Meyer Homes, on how to ensure your home retains its value for years to come.
Your home needs to adapt well to changing needs in the future if you want to save yourself thousands of pounds renovating every few years. There are many influential factors but a key one is technology, which is developing at frightening speed to provide homes that are more eco-friendly, more affordable and enjoyable to live in. Environmental aspects are another, but if you are to add value and entice buyers in decades to come, ‘future proofing’ is vital.
As the managing director of a property company, I have to make sure we stay up to date with all the latest gadgets, government legislation and so on whilst ensuring our homes are easily adaptable. Here are a few steps we’ve taken at Meyer Homes to future-proof two of our newest developments, Bishops Gate in Fulham and Gabriel Square in St Albans, that you could adapt your home to make sure it doesn’t date and struggle to sell.
ELECTRIC CAR CHARGERS
Electric charging points are fast becoming a key requirement for property buyers, and with the government banning all UK petrol and diesel cars from 2040, this demand is only going to grow. Some cities have already announced their own plans to create zero emission zones in the near future. This is why we have installed electric car chargers for every parking space at Bishops Gate and a quarter of our homes in St Albans.
CABLE INFRASTRUCTURE
Connectivity plays a vital role when influencing the living space of a home. James Moody, managing director of Meyer Homes, on how to ensure your home retains its value for years to come power and performance. Control 4 platforms are ideal so that buyers can connect and manage all devices in their home from one place. It’s also worth installing all-in-one control panels on each wall in key rooms.
SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY
From multi-room music, lighting and alarm systems to sprinklers and heating, there is a lot one can do with smart home installations now. Offering such technology can seriously impress future buyers. However, all the apps and settings you need to make them work and for them to sync well together can be stressful and complicated. So it makes sense to also have a system where you can control everything from one place to maximise power and performance. Control 4 platforms are ideal so that buyers can connect and manage all devices in their home from one place. It’s also worth installing all-in-one control panels on each wall in key rooms.
ALLOW FOR SPACE
It isn’t all about the master bedroom anymore. Key living spaces are much bigger than they used to be. More people are entertaining at home, which has seen the dining room make a comeback in affluent households, as well as separate catering kitchens. Living rooms have also become less cluttered and more open plan to make room for daily yoga practice, games consoles that require people to dance or jump around the room and home cinema systems. A 25” television either isn’t considered big these days, with 85” screens common along with surround sound hardware.
PROVIDE FLEXIBLE ACCOMMODATION
People are living much longer these days, which means multi-generational living is on the rise. Homes need to become more accessible to accommodate the needs of disabled and elderly buyers. This makes flexible accommodation highly sought-after, so always think about how the space can be used now and for decades to come. To make a property wheelchair adaptable, think about creating wider bathrooms, turning circle areas, and open kitchens without encumbrances like islands. Downsizers, generally older people moving from bigger properties to smaller ones, are a growing presence on the property market. They often look for no-fuss lateral apartments, with lifts and porters as an added bonus. If you live in a multi-level property, internal lifts to all floors are also seen as a useful addition.
Edited by Melissa York for https://www.cityam.com/