SMARTWORKING: Work in the countryside with the comforts of the city

Smart working everywhere and in any case: more and more buyers are looking for homes in the countryside

Covid has revolutionized our lifestyle habits. The 28th Forum organized by Scenari Immobiliari in Santa Margherita Ligure, entitled Après le déluge, wanted to underline how the real estate sector is expected to recover in the medium term, while it is indicated as still stable for the next year, with sales in moderate increase in the residential sector: prices, however, will remain firm. In the first six months of 2020, the market saw a decline of 29%, while, after the reopening, when it was possible to return to visit homes safely, it has seen a positive trend since June. According to a survey carried out for the Forum, almost half (44%) of the entrepreneurs and managers interviewed during the “Scenari Immobiliari Forum” expect that the Italian economic system will improve slightly over the next year, while just under a third (30%) estimates its slight deterioration. On the other hand, optimists increase in the medium term (3-5 years): more than 5 out of 10 of the interviewees hypothesize a small improvement, while 2 out of 10 a certain stability.

The journalist Maurizio Ricci of Repubblica, in an article of 12 September, writes: "The current moment to buy a house therefore appears favorable, thanks to the interest rates that continue to run at historic lows, to the prices being corrected and - above all - in anticipation of their next recovery. " Smart working has sparked favor and opposition, but sociologists tell us it will be the future of work, at least for part of the week. The case of Milan, which records a drop in lettings for students and workers who stay in their hometowns to study and work remotely, is emblematic. “We have to make a law. On 24 September, with the Minister of Labor Nunzia Catalfo, we called a meeting with the social partners to discuss the future of smart working which, like all innovations, presents risks and great opportunities »announced Undersecretary for Labor Francesca Puglisi. For those who work as freelancers, “agile work” has always been the best solution: you work when and where you want, obtaining quick results and above all with low costs. The case of real smart working is different, where you have set hours to stay at the computer, perhaps remotely controlled and working in a team. And it is not always easy to reconcile the times and ways of domestic life - children at home, elderly parents to manage, nicely intrusive pets - with a time and a schedule to respect.

What is certain is that the advantages of working on the move are different: by now, we can also send emails from the subway, connected to the network for some years, or from a green hill. Domestic work is destined to revolutionize our modus vivendi: no more coffee on the go, but a good breakfast in front of the computer, no queues on the motorway, no old men with hats driving at 20 kilometers per hour in a small car, on a one way road. Not to mention the reduction in travel costs and lunches outside the home: for those who complain of a possible crisis in catering, know that they have invented home delivery, for a quick and ready-made lunch even at home. What does all this entail on the real estate market? Clearly, the living space in which people choose to live will change (more on that in another article). And I'm not talking about simple Feng Shui. Furnishing the house according to criteria of pleasantness and relaxation is no longer enough: it is necessary to reorganize the spaces, trying to keep the work and relaxation areas distinct. Literally opening the doors to work in your home also means "breaking through" the walls, meaning by this the concept of having outdoor spaces in which to live and work in a new ventilated lockdown. The demand for properties (farmhouses, villas, old monasteries revisited) in countryside areas will continue to grow. 

Manini Group offers farmhouses, wineries, villas in the Tuscan countryside and throughout Italy for sale, to live and work in a healthy environment that is as suitable as possible for new trends.