Work FOR Home

With home becoming the be-all and end-all of one’s interaction with real estate space during Covid 19 lockdown, one realizes the work-from-home may actually spur a thought movement to work-for-home in the post Covid era

By Namrata Kohli

Having a home during Lockdown has been a privilege. As we think of migrant labourers, homeless people on streets, or doctors having to check into hotels, even cars, we can't overemphasize the importance of that space called home. A home lends us identity, preserves dignity and provides shelter and is indeed one of most defining part of our existence.

That part of earth we call our own- home is a haven of peace, privacy, safety where we not just live but this place can perform many other functions too like doubling up as office, school, restaurant, theatre, library, studio. Hence home is no longer restricted to being one's private den only, but an uber dynamic space which is both multidimensional as well as multifunctional. Here everything happens- right from personal and emotional interactions to social, intellectual, spiritual with this becoming the virtual melting point of family time, play time, solid work, learning, fun and entertainment.

Lockdown unlocks newer possibilities for home. The idea of home office and home school were not new but people were skeptical about its practical application. Now that everyone has been forced to take the plunge and it’s been tried and tested, it is spurring ideas of revolutionary change in the way things operate. Private sector entrepreneurs and school owners are finding the model of remote working and distance learning, not just viable but also beneficial. Businessmen are already considering giving up half of at least one third of their office space as they find benefits in outsourcing certain functions to employees working out of home. What's more everyone is happy with this arrangement- be it employees or employer. A major slimming of budgets will mean scraping off the extra pounds of commercial space and institutional real estate.

Social media is abuzz with this joke - "Until now, the best vaccine against Covid 19 is made by builders- a Home!" Isn't this true. In my view, residential real estate is poised to become the engine of growth in post Covid times, of not just the real estate sector but India’s economy, despite the headwinds of downturn. People may now want to invest in a comfortable, modern home- one that is "as spacious as their pocket can afford". Barring luxury, I see demand picking up for everything from affordable to mid end housing in India. Too early to say, but commercial's (real estate sector) loss may be residential's gain!

Comments

Telemedicine to the aid of home-bound patients in the time of Covid-19

Telemedicine in covid-19 times: You can get to the doctor almost anytime, anywhere, be it on your screen, via voice or plain text for a lower price than in-person consult Namrata Kohli | New Delhi Telehealth is bridging the gap between patient and physicians. The physician can now virtually visit the stay-at-home patient and heal from a distance Telemedicine in covid-19 times: When 37-year-old Priyanka was down with fever and dry cough, she decided to consult a doctor over a WhatsApp call before giving her blood sample for an RT-PCR test. Based on her symptoms, the physician alerted her that it wasn't a mild Covid infection but a moderate one. His diagnosis was confirmed when the test report showed a viral load count of 20. “The massive benefits of telemedicine became evident during the pandemic,” says Priyanka’s doctor, New Delhi-based consultant physician Dr Arvind Kumar. “Everything is about time and if my patients have complications late at ni...

Gwalior is in Guinness: Tansen Sangeet Samaroh 2024

Gwalior is in Guinness: Tansen Sangeet Samaroh 2024 By Namrata Kohli History was created at the centenary celebration of the “Tansen Sangeet Samaroh 2024” at Gwalior where a musical ensemble entered the Guinness Book of World Records. The Tansen music festival was hosted by the UNESCO City of Music, Gwalior in its hundredth edition from 15-19 December 2024, in the backdrop of the historic Gwalior Fort and Tansen Tomb. Guiness had set several stringent criteria for evaluation- a minimum of 300 artists playing at least four instruments, and three songs spanning two minutes each. But the musical ensemble composed by renowned flute player Pandit Ronu Majumdar far surpassed all these criteria. Said Majumdar- “We had 563 artists. I was told by the Indian representative of Guinness that in any international evaluation of legends like Mozart, Beethoven, or Sangeet samrat Tansen, we need three songs and each song should be of minimum two minutes duration. So far, I was only ...

Commercial real estate offers higher rental yield, but beware the risks

Namrata Kohli New Delhi Delhi-based couple Jyoti and Rishi Arora recently chose to invest in commercial property, attracted by higher rental yields and the prospects of capital appreciation. They selected a 250-square-foot office space priced at Rs 80 lakh. “After extensive research, we selected a project in Sector 140, Noida, developed by a reputable builder,” says Jyoti. The presence of major IT companies in the area has strengthened their confidence in this investment. “You can get on a year to a year basis a return of approximate 12 to 35 percent depending on the location, prices and buying at the right time. Even in a place like Noida within 18 months, people have achieved almost hundred percent appreciation,” says Salil Kumar, Director Marketing & Business Management, CRC Group, which has its latest commercial project The Flagship in Noida Sector 140-A. What is the minimum ticket size with which one can invest in commercial real estate? Is it possible for re...

The Writer’s Flight

Search This Blog