i cant see office working going back to how it was. the drive for more flexible workimng was happening but the more luddite companies are slower to respond. i think working patterns and locations will change permanently as we have demonstrated it works totally fine.

i wouldd be more concerned about wether you/your family are cut out for country life if you are used to city services as mentioned by NZCol above.

we could up sticks to teh country but we like the convenience of where we are (but it comes at a price premium). my country dwelling sister spent 10yrs as a kid taxi service – sod that!

i cant see office working going back to how it was. t

Hopefully this!

My work pre covid despite being a digital agency only allowed 2 days a month from home. It seems they are going to change this after seeing productivity has increased.

house prices in my my area are bonkers. Seems lots of people are having the same thoughts as me. I did hear my postcode ranks 2nd in top 10 postcodes in England and Wales with 72% of listed properties in August under offer or sold!

We left the countryside just as the kids were turning into teens. I could see where this was going in a village with four buses a day and only to one destination. They need some independence. Of course the taxi part only partly diminished.

Personally my interest is moving back to the sea instead.

Also have a colleague who lives in France but used to commute to UK and live in a flat 2-3 days a week. Based on how well she has coped, we are now considering our long talked about 2nd home in Northern France, could happily live there for a few weeks at a time,

I wonder how well that will continue to work after January…. 🤔

It seems probable that, post-covid, a load more people on relatively high wages are going to have WFH as a viable option. If they decide to move to a more rural area (which may have lower property prices and poor local employment prospects), is this likely to cause issues for ‘locals’ in rural areas looking to buy a house?

Traditionally, property prices were lower in areas with worse job prospects. Are we about to see a degree of price levelling across the country?

If your company’s policy allows you to move to the country, which one are you choosing…… India ? Vietnam ? China ??

Be careful what you wish for !!

It’s an interesting point.

I work in IT support. Our guys are good at what they do, really good, but but there are guys in India who are in a different league. At the moment few clients are off-shoring end user IT support, the biggest barriers are a bit of light end-users xenophobia and issues with accents, but then I’ve spoken to guys in India who sound 100% UK-Asian.

On the flip side of that, one of my suppliers WFH from his Apartment over-looking Miami Beach, he works 4am to midday, takes his kids to school during his lunch break, spends the afternoons doing whatever he wants to do. Miami Beach holds no appeal to me, but somewhere in France would. I’d rather fly to the office for a monthly meeting rather than drive everyday, but really… what’s the point? Do you really need to see people face to face when a HD webcam works just as well?

Personally my interest is moving back to the sea instead.

?

If your company’s policy allows you to move to the country, which one are you choosing…… India ? Vietnam ? China ??

Be careful what you wish for !!

Im going hazard a guess that many of us who will shift to primarily WFH will still have a need to attend the office on a regular basis for meetings and workshops.

Any that fall outside of that were already at risk of outsourcing.

Just a guess mind you.

One thing that stands out about the threat of, “well, if the role can be WFH then it can be outsourced overseas” is the article/opinion piece I’ve seen happened to be in a newspaper owned by brothers with significant property investments.

It seems probable that, post-covid, a load more people on relatively high wages are going to have WFH as a viable option. If they decide to move to a more rural area (which may have lower property prices and poor local employment prospects), is this likely to cause issues for ‘locals’ in rural areas looking to buy a house?

Traditionally, property prices were lower in areas with worse job prospects. Are we about to see a degree of price levelling across the country?

It’ll be slow and gradual, but yes.

As with all change, there will be winners and losers, so yeah if you’re in a low-wage job and live out of a city, then you might find the cost of housing where you lives goes up. However if you’re a City Dweller paying 65% of your salary on rent you might find it a blessed relief when prices go down.

However, if it happens, it will be a bigger win than lose for the majority. We don’t have a housing shortfall in the UK, we ‘just’ have a shortfall in certain places.

Also, if we do find that the change is too quick, then it’s far, far easier and cheaper to build new houses out of town, we could, if we wanted create new towns and cites.

IMHO, Covid/Lock down isn’t the start of a WFH revolution, it’s been slowly happening for YEARS. I know this might bring me dangerously close to providing ‘proof’ of a Bill Gates Covid conspiracy theory, but if you did want to fan those flames, it would be far better to show how 365 / Teams / Azure has matured in the last 18/24 months as proof that they were readying for a WFH revolution, than any hokum about stock-piling vaccines etc.

Wife and I were talking about this last night. We aren’t in a position to me currently but I in a couple of years hope to, so things hopefully clearer by then. If I could WFH 4 days a week I could trade a long commute one day a week for a nicer house and life in a quieter location. Fingers crossed it happens.

but with an awful commute (3 hours ish) and the prospect of some nights in Air BnB type accommodation or even worse in my parents spare room.

It’s the justification for that stealth camper that you always wanted.

Are we about to see a degree of price levelling across the country?

I asked this question about six months ago.

I was rolling this notion around earlier. UK geography is born of necessity and fuelled organically. Liverpool exists because of the port. Inner cities came about as people realised it was easier to get six chickens for a goat if they were geographically close to each other. Up north here we built towns around mills and collieries (then never really recovered when those industries died). London these days is The City because The City is in London, it’s self-fulfilling.

It’s a gross oversimplification of course. But what happens long-term when relatively suddenly you remove the need for large swathes of people to be in a specific place? London property prices are stupid because it’s almost a captive market; you want to work in London, you live in or around London and you pay London prices. Now a web developer in Camden suddenly realises that rather than getting suited and booted and sitting on the Tube for two hours a day he can do exactly the same job from home in his pants somewhere leafy, it really does rather beg the question “why wouldn’t you?” Some people love London of course, but even if city life is your thing there’s plenty of other cities.

I do wonder if this goes way deeper than just property prices. I can’t see London ever becoming “just another city” but I can potentially see its status as the central power point of everything diminishing (and something something brexit something). Maybe we’ll start to see a redistribution of wealth as people – and businesses – realise that not everything has to be within brick-chucking distance of the M25.

And what happens then when “new money” suddenly starts appearing in other parts of the country?

know this might bring me dangerously close to providing ‘proof’ of a Bill Gates Covid conspiracy theory,

Bill Gates stood down as Microsoft CEO 20 years ago, has little to do with MS these days other than as a part-time “advisor,” and spends his day-to-day life giving away money. You might as well blame Steve Jobs.

Just for balance, I live in central Bristol and house prices round here have gone mental in the last few months. If commuters are going to WFH in the country then it solves the one thing I don’t like about living in the city – traffic and air pollution.

And what happens then when “new money” suddenly starts appearing in other parts of the country?

Don’t think you need to worry about an influx of incomers in Lancashire.

Don’t think you need to worry about an influx of incomers in Lancashire.

Sadly, plenty round here do but not in the way you mean.

know this might bring me dangerously close to providing ‘proof’ of a Bill Gates Covid conspiracy theory,

Bill Gates stood down as Microsoft CEO 20 years ago, has little to do with MS these days other than as a part-time “advisor,” and spends his day-to-day life giving away money. You might as well blame Steve Jobs.

Playing the long-game see! He stepped down from Berkshire Hathway / MS board just as Covid reached the US back in March…

Open your eyes Sheeple, we’re thorough the looking glass here, Chemtrails, Flat Earth, 29″ wheels, he’s behind it all!

we could up sticks to teh country but we like the convenience of where we are (but it comes at a price premium). my country dwelling sister spent 10yrs as a kid taxi service – sod that!

I think this is not to be underestimated. You see a lot of people who “move to the country side” actually just want a posh suburb. They don’t really want I personally consider a country life. This can lead to looking down on lots of the locals who may have 3 car in a over gown hedge etc but are grand just don’t fit in with the image the new commers want

What happens in a redundancy, you’ve moved to the sticks and your job goes…. then what you’ve narrowed your search options.

It’ll work for some but not all.

Like a ripple effect.

Are we about to see a degree of price levelling across the country?

Yes and no imo. Upper end of middle priced house yes. Lower end and upper end no. The cheap stuff in a cheap area will not be as appealing to mid career mid level people who will get WFH. “Nice houses” in “Nice areas” will be under competition. The high end houses are going to be more senior people or company owners so either need to be close to work whatever or already have moved family and have a flat / house near their work or business etc.

It seems probable that, post-covid, a load more people on relatively high wages are going to have WFH as a viable option. If they decide to move to a more rural area (which may have lower property prices and poor local employment prospects), is this likely to cause issues for ‘locals’ in rural areas looking to buy a house?

Already is, rents have jumped up 20-25% in the areas I’ve looked and sales are doing similar. It’s definitely priced me out of areas that were comfortably within reach 6 months ago.

Traditionally, property prices were lower in areas with worse job prospects. Are we about to see a degree of price levelling across the country?

More likely the city price drop will be a blip but the countryside prices will stay up. Basically prices will on average rise once things settle down, add in the larger deposits needed and you’ll have an even bigger divide between the haves and have-nots.

What happens in a redundancy, you’ve moved to the sticks and your job goes…. then what you’ve narrowed your search options.

Which was my point earlier. However if you walk away with £500,000 in the bank from moving out of an expensive location and into some village in the middle of nowhere with no mortgage you may not need a wide job market and could settle for what you would have classed before as a lesser job.

The cheap stuff in a cheap area will not be as appealing to mid career mid level people who will get WFH.

I know a lot of people well into their career, late forties, huge deposits saved up, yet can’t buy a small flat near where they work. These people could buy a house in most areas of the UK tomorrow, if their current work from home scenario was secure enough to allow them. The reality is, that for most, they’ll need to stay where they are ready for at least part of their working week being back in the ‘office’ at some point. For the most part… the property market may well mutate, but the price differentials between areas aren’t going to suddenly vanish, just close slightly.

What happens in a redundancy, you’ve moved to the sticks and your job goes…. then what you’ve narrowed your search options.

Get a job working remotely for another company….

Live in the countryside but within 10 miles of a major city ( by Bike), always picked jobs i could work from home and/or within cycle commute distance. Covid situation has meant WFH indefinitely with a day in the office here and there only if required, they off hired a whole floor of my office due to redundancies and for more people at my work now the norm is wfh.
Best thing about countryside – big garden, lots of nice walks and country pubs, friendly people, little traffic, and a few village shops within a mile or so. Prices have shot up though with 3 houses on my street recently selling quickly and for around 25% higher price than they thought pre covid! lunch at home with the missus everyday is also nice.
Id say go for it but act fast!

What happens in a redundancy, you’ve moved to the sticks and your job goes…. then what you’ve narrowed your search options.

Get a job working remotely for another company….

It’s a glib answer, but @footflaps is right.

IF your employer decides it’s feasible, then a LOT of others will too. Offices, especially fancy City Centre offices cost a lot of money and are starting to look a bit pointless after 5 months of gathering dust.

So yeah, you’re closing the door to employers who run from a central location where you live, but opening the door to EVERY employer who doesn’t.

As I said above, this already happens. The Company we sub-let some office space to has more than 20k employees, the ONLY office they have in Europe is 3 small rooms they let from us. Okay, they only have 15 or so UK employees, 5 work here, the rest are scattered all over the UK. Apart from their production plant in Japan, this is how they work globally and have done for more than a decade.

Well we put our house on the market a few weeks ago. Had 7 offers and if things go to plan we’re off to Wales. Excited and scared at the same time. Been in Bristol 17 years will be keeping the same job but hopefully commuting 1 day a week.

Good luck man, hope it works out for you 🙂

….awful commute (3 hours ish) and the prospect of some nights in Air BnB type accommodation or even worse in my parents spare room. But maybe only once a week or every other week…

I did something like this for 5 years. 2 nights a week at staying with my mum. Long commute but only once there and back a week. Away from home 3 days, WFH 2. It does have its positives. I spent a lot of evenings with my mum, which we both enjoyed. She got cooked for and I got a place to stay. And an extended early morning commute I found quite peaceful although once a week is enough. Plus selfishly I could fit in things I can’t when at home with family, like a 2+ hour after work ride every day if I so choose.

On office space and house market, I think there are other factors that haven’t quite come in to play yet.

Houses are selling really well right now but jobs and the economy are in the sh*t. If I had a house to sell I’d be acting fast whether urban or rural.

And offices are empty because they have to be, with the slight silver lining that employers have realised they can trust their employees to WFH. I agree that things won’t ever return to normal WFH will be more normal than it was and city office space will reduce, but I suspect there will also be some sort of “correction” in that in a couple of years many employers will revert to type and want “face time” again.

I think threads like this reveals that there’s a bunch of folk whose idea/fantasy of living in the countryside is nothing like what actually living in the countryside is like.

You will encounter: Poorly maintained infrastructure, forget regular public transport links; hell most roads won’t even have a pavement. Get to love your car, as you’ll need it daily to do anything. Rural broadband is patchy at best, inconsistent and unreliable, and you’ll be at the bottom of the list to get it sorted. Parcel deliveries will be as well, and that’s if they can be bothered to look for you, if you choose to live down a track, or off the main road at all you’ll get everything a day late, or you’ll have to go and get from the hub.  Forget good schools, and you’ll become a taxi service for your children. Forget late night opening shops, or choices, or restaurants, cinemas, etc etc…Oh, and if there is a decent Pub/restaurant nearby, it won’t be within walking distance, so one of you will have to stay sober, and it will be eye-wateringly expensive, but don’t worry, it’ll close soon due to lack of customers, so at least you get good at cooking. Forget Uber/Deliveroo etc, they don’t exist outside cities, and won’t come you anyway.The local shops will have limited choice and will be expensive, and you’ll be paying 5-6p /litre more for your fuel (which will be a 20 min drive away and will close at 9pm), likewise council tax, insurance, water, will all be more expensive. The locals will hate you, first for your political views, and secondly as an incomer (you think I’m joking, I can tell) but rural folk are miserly, narrow minded, have long memories, and forget and forgive nothing. I live just outside a pretty, well known honey spot town, and this is my world….

So sure, move out of the city, but bear in mind what you’re used to, and going to give up and open your eyes to what you’re moving to…

Yup the countryside is a hellhole, stay in your cities!

I lived in the country for 23 years before living on the city. No shop,1 bus a week, no street lighting , used to get snowed in in the winter. So understand a lot about living in the country.

The place we’re moving to is 5 mins away from where my partner grew up and where her parents still live so we’re pretty familiar with the area and the schools.

There is a middle ground that doesn’t involve living in the boonies. Its not a binary choice between the shining metropolis and redneck heaven.

I live on the outskirts of a small town in the SW, I have fields behind the house, I can walk to the town centre in 5 minutes, I can see dartmoor from my doorstep and run/ride onto the moors in about ten minutes. Beaches of north Cornwall are 35 mins away. Broadband is good, transport links are shit though.

I moved from N5 to a village with one pub and a sub-post office. What I found:
Detached houses on a road suffer more from traffic noise (my lane was noisier than opposite the old Arsenal ground on a match day)
You’re always driving and some parents don’t like to pick their kids up (and next door et al permanently drank and drove)
I knackered a diesel car with too many short journeys
You need to shop differently and have big freezer space
The combine harvesters working at the back of the house gave me hay fever
mowing the lawn took me an hour
The small village and one pub can make it difficult to avoid some people
We could play very loud music
I now live in a small town (c6,500) and everything is walkable: live directly on to a park so no noise because no road, I can cut my lawn with nail scissors but look out on 7 acres, 2 roods and 16 perches I don’t have to cut
two primary schools and one good comp all within walking distance, one public school
5-6 drinking establishments from the snotty to the snotters
A co-op supermarket and 4 other food outlets, a petrol station, 2 diy and some boutique shops which I never visit, a friday market and an annual fat-stock market (kin brilliant day)
Off road tracks 6 and 7 miles away but surrounded by walkable countryside and tracks
I infinitely prefer the small town set up if you can find one that works for you, better for everyone walking, a bit more choice and a bit more chance of meeting like-minded folk (!) although unlikely, you need to be flexible

There is a middle ground that doesn’t involve living in the boonies. Its not a binary choice between the shining metropolis and redneck heaven.

You’d think that wouldn’t you? I live 20mins from a main route A road…It’s literally “just” in the countryside, and is more accurately probably “semi-Urban” Everything in my previous post still applies. People really do need to understand the difference between suburbs and rural village life. I may as well be miles from anywhere, the only difference would be the time spent in the car.

There are upsides of course, the wildlife, the riding, the dark nights, the peace and quiet, but there are considerable (let’s call them) inconveniences that can make a difference to your quality of life.

Just for balance, I live in central Bristol and house prices round here have gone mental in the last few months. If commuters are going to WFH in the country then it solves the one thing I don’t like about living in the city – traffic and air pollution.

I think this is really true and it seems the same where I live. Prices in London don’t seem to be going down talking to friends who are currently looking.

I think what Nikc said is 100% true. People are looking at this summer thinking yep rural Surrey or North Wales looks nice with those beaches. Talk to me in the winter when its freezing cold pitch black by 3 and you got no where to go (i spent my teens / early 20s living in wales). Major cities will still be major cities with loads of stuff to see, eat and do. Personally despite no office until 2021 and likely a wfh option for as many days as I wont I wont be leaving London I like what it offers the culinary diversity, sights and a decent(ish) transport infrastructure. I don’t want to go back to the days of standing on a rural train platform or bus stop wondering is the things gonna turn up.

Yeah. I had this conversation with myself over a decade ago. Driving round the countryside and seeing houses dotted on hills and thinking “that must be ace…”

… then driving back via the 24/7 Tesco Extra and ordering pizza delivery on the Internet when I got home.

There is a middle ground that doesn’t involve living in the boonies. Its not a binary choice between the shining metropolis and redneck heaven.

The Peak has been great for us. Enough civilisation that it’s not a complete pain, but out of the way enough that it’s far more relaxing than previous places I’ve lived.

There is a middle ground….. Its not a binary choice between the shining metropolis and redneck heaven.

Are you new to the internet? 🤣

then driving back via the 24/7 Tesco Extra and ordering pizza delivery on the Internet when I got home.

To be fair you soon get used to not having those crutches.

I don’t miss them and I wouldn’t trade what I have for them either.

That said working from home really only has been fiesable since 2018. Prior to that we had 0.8meg internet that meant conference call was not possible hell WhatsApp voice calls were barely possible.work thought I was taking the piss till they tried to call me on whatsapp

Are you new to the internet? 🤣

We only got it this year…