According to Fortune, the top two real estate trends to watch for in 2022 are a return to the office and minimizing of the effects of COVID-19:
Covid-19
Prediction: The economy and corporate real estate (CRE) markets will continue to recover in 2022, and setbacks from flareups of Covid-19 will be short-lived.
The emergence of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 in late November 2021 serves as a reminder that the threat of new waves of infection looms over all aspects of the global economy. Increasing vaccination rates and natural immunity due to prior infection may help contain these risks.
Return to Office
Prediction: The office will remain the hub of business activity, but flexible work-from-home will allow many employees the convenience of skipping the commute a few days a week.
Millions of employees are returning to the office each month, according to the Labor Department’s monthly employment report, yet many employers are embracing a flexible work-from-home model.
The key development to watch is not how many employees make the commute each month. Rather, keep an eye on the peak space needs for the days when all employees are in the office for teamwork and communication, as this will drive overall demand for office space. In addition, watch whether employers redesign the office space to eliminate individual office or work stations, or whether there is simply decreased density within the office on the days that employees work from home.
