At-Home Learning Spaces Remain Selling Point

Most kids are heading back to school in person this year, but many parents are still coveting the virtual classroom spaces they created at the start of the pandemic. Many real estate pros believe they’re still a selling point, too.

Real estate pros continue to market and stage such spaces to attract potential home buyers.

“The family’s priorities have changed. People want these learning centers,” says Fredrik Eklund, a real estate professional in New York.

In May, about 1,178 home listings mentioned terms related to learning spaces, a 58% jump compared to a year ago. Real estate listings for more than $1 million that mentioned a learning space had a median time on the market of 45 days—12 days shorter than homes that did not mention one.

Learning spaces can create boundaries for homework areas and for using electronics. Some clients are removing man caves and multiple offices to turn them into an area for a children’s workspace.

Real estate professionals say that they are staging more areas with play and work areas dedicated to children on the lower levels of homes. People now look at those spaces as being less recreational. Buyers want a usefulness to some of these spaces that are being repurposed.