A new era of living

Merely 8.5 percent of those polled for surveys expressed their intention to cancel their homebuying plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And 38 percent said they will make the purchase after the epidemic subsides in China. That's because they cannot go out for a physical viewing of properties at the moment. Another 29 percent prefer to wait for a while as they believe home prices will go down.

Another survey conducted by E-House (China) Enterprise Holdings Ltd earlier in March showed a similar pattern. Up to 65 percent of the 10,353 families polled said they are about to buy a new flat or upgrade to a better apartment.

In the survey, 56 percent of the polled said their current living rooms are not big enough or riddled with limited space that does not allow leisure activities. Some 52 percent complained about the lack of hallway. A hallway is now seen as a necessary space to change into fresh clothes and sanitize themselves before entering the main areas of home.

And more than 43 percent found their dining room too small to squeeze in all the members of the household for a family dinner. More than 19 percent said they need more bedrooms to avoid human-to-human transmission; 14 percent expect to have at least two bathrooms for use during peak times; 9 percent found their balcony too small to do any physical exercise; 7 percent said they need more space for study and work; 5 percent want more space for stocking life supplies; nearly 5 percent hope their home will have more intelligent or smart facilities as well as air-and water-purifying systems.

"Recent surveys indicate Chinese people's home requirements have changed from the basic needs of living to a pursuit of quality life, which is a call for developers to adopt more diversified and creative home designs," said Ding Zuyu, CEO of E-House (China) Enterprise Holdings Ltd.

"The epidemic will further alter homebuyers' decisions. Especially those looking to buy a home with better living conditions, will find a responsive market," said Xie Chen, head of research with CBRE China.

Cosmopolitan cities with sufficient resources for living remain the premier choice for the majority (51 percent). During the recent work-fromhome period, many people realized they need independent office-like space at home, as nearly 42 percent hope to buy a bigger apartment with enough space for their parents and kids living together, the Beike Real Estate Research Institute report said.

"The outstanding performance of first-tier cities and their surrounding city clusters in battling the epidemic proved the importance of living there. They have sufficient medical, educational and life-support facilities. We expect these cities' property markets to recover soon after the COVID-19 epidemic is subdued," said Yang Yuechen, Knight Frank's head of research and consultancy in Shanghai and Beijing.

Another lesson learnt from the epidemic is the importance of medical facilities and property services. As many as 63 percent of the respondents said they are more willing to pay for high-quality property management, and 46 percent care about sophisticated medical resources in the vicinity of their homes.

"Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, future apartments will pay more attention to health and safety, comfort and function, services and management," said Zhang Xiaoduan, Cushman &Wakefield's senior director of research in South and West China.