Migration to the Lake
It has officially been two years since the start of the pandemic. Do you remember March of 2020? If you think about how things were then compared to how things are now, it’s easy to agree that the world is much different than it was at the start of the pandemic. Work habits and environments changed, schooling changed, trends changed, pretty much everything changed. From our perspective at Nor-Son Custom Builders, it has been interesting to see how patterns in building and remodeling have changed over this time. And one area with significant changes is second homes.
The pandemic made people rethink their living spaces. Living rooms became classrooms, bedrooms became offices, and families were living on top of one another. Nearly everyone was working from home and spaces started to feel crammed and cluttered, and a new culture in home building was born.
With offices in both the Twin Cities and Brainerd Lakes Area, we started to see a dramatic increase in home renovations and new construction for second homes. In fact, an article in the Star Tribune confirmed this trend, “Agents say that with more people looking for places where they can work — and play — outside the city, buyers are also hunting for year-round properties that have all the comforts of their homes in the city.”
The pandemic pushed people to look for homes where they could enjoy where they worked year-round; think “work hard, play hard”. People wanted to finish work and then enjoy a sunset from their porch or patio. The value of enjoying lake life while working remotely made homes outside of the city instantly popular. People were searching for a more laid-back and stress-free environment to counter the rapid external uncertainties. The same Star Tribune Article mentioned that “A midyear study by the Pew Research Center said that 13% of the people who relocated this year moved to vacation or second homes they already owned.”
The real estate market is hot, the builder market is hot, and the demand for more space and comfort is through the roof. We polled our followers on Instagram and asked whether they are still working from home. About 60% of our respondents said they are still working from home, meaning the importance of a comfortable at-home workspace is still prevalent. At Nor-Son Custom Builders, we believe in creating spaces that function for you and your family, so you have plenty of time to enjoy the simple pleasures of lake life. And with our 2 convenient locations in Wayzata and Brainerd/Baxter, it’s even easier to design and build your dream lake home.
