Location, Location, Location - still relevant in the post-COVID world?

 "Working-from-home remains the default mode of working, and all employers should provide the facilities necessary and direct every worker to work-from-home, as far as reasonably practicable." - goBusiness 

"Remote working is an opportunity for companies to change their way of working sustainably and reap the benefits over the medium to long term. Think of less office space, less commuting, fewer business trips, shorter breaks and greater focus for employees." - EY Belgium

"The reality of working from home in a small apartment is that you’ll be carving out a space to work in a room that serves a different purpose. If you can make your workspace look attractive, go for it. If not, don’t worry about the aesthetics – it’s function that matters." - Forbes

"Beyond the need for more space, the trouble is homes are built differently from offices. Residential flats tend to be built with a north-south facing to minimise sun glare and heat coming into flats, whereas offices have glass facades to permit natural lighting." - CNA Commentary

The property game has hitherto been about 'location', 'location', and 'location. Question: Is it still relevant today, and in the post-COVID world?

Working from home (WFH) has become the de facto, and especially during the Circuit Breaker (CB) last year, many tales surfaced of family conflicts due to the tight spaces and being in each other's faces 24/7. It is quite unimaginable to me personally why would you stay with loved ones whom you do not so wish to see all the time - but I suppose sometimes we all need a bit of personal space and privacy. So do we all 'upgrade' to bigger flats and houses if we get the chance? Do we need a room for each of us in the same house? Whatever happened to co-living and sharing?

The need for space has never been more keenly felt than now. But the more creative among us will argue that it is not how much space you have but how you adopt and adapt it. There are tons of neat tricks one can easily find like dropleaf tables and hidden wall beds to name a few. Having said that, a lot of us in Singapore grew up in cramped spaces and shared rooms with family members. Space has always been a precious commodity and COVID hasn't change any bit of that.

Enough about space, back to the Location question. With decentralisation push since as early as 1992, it is increasingly common to find decent jobs away from the city center or CBD. Tampines, Jurong East and recently Paya Lebar has established themselves as desirable satellite business centers with many even having their HQ off city center there. Suburban malls popped up like mushrooms over the past decade and one can find major high street brands like Uniqlo, H&M, Daiso and Muji in the heartlands within walking distance from a HDB estate.

With the now commonplace food delivery and logistics delivery services like Grabfood, Foodpanda, Ninjavan, Lalamove and the likes, coupled with increasing popularity and acceptance of online shopping and ecommerce, as the CB demonstrated, one can still go on living the same quality of life even without stepping out of the house. Add in home workouts, Netflix, a new pet, anyone?

I 'fondly' remember when we first moved to Bedok in the 1980s - it was a fresh new town and barely anything was around in terms of amenities. And we spent most of our time indoor and there were never shy of interesting activities then. TV, homework, games, rearing small pets, cooking, cleaning, visiting neighbours occupied most of our time. CB was like a 'trip down memory lane' for many, enjoying the simple comforts of home, and then now the modern life when everything can be obtained at the tap of a mobile phone app.

Living in Jurong East can be as 'sexy' as living in Tampines, or Orchard, or River Valley, for that matter. If you pay attention to other details like sheltered walkways and the plethora of choices of cheap parking, affordable food and coffee shops right in the neighbourhood within steps, I dare argue some may even prefer staying in heartland HDB estates. 

But as COVID has shown us, even the question of which estate is more preferable, may have come to pass. Anyone living in any place in Singapore can probably enjoy services and amenities within easy reach, a matter of a short walk or just tapping on that app. 

Need to WFH? Reliable ISP/5G - checked.

Need food? Foodpanda - checked. 

Need groceries? Redmart - checked.

Need a ride, sans hot sun or rain? Grab (pick up at covered porch) - checked.

Need to clean the house? Robo cleaner (buy one online at Shopee, Lazada, Qoo10) - checked.

Need entertainment? Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ - checked.

Need a haircut? Youtube has DIY guides - checked.

Need new clothes? (do you really? you are home almost all the time!) Zalora/ASOS online - checked.

Need a breather / greenery? Walk no more than 10 mins from your home - checked.

Need to see a doc? Telemedicine - checked.

Need to pick up that mask? (in the *super rare* occasion that you really really *must* *go* *out*) Temasek gives it to you free at a neighbourhood center near you - checked.

Live like Royalty with 'servants' (services) at your beck and call and barely having to lift your fingers for everything, anywhere in Singapore? 

C-h-e-c-k-e-d.

Well, nearly everything.

We still need to brush our own teeth...