Do you work from home? Plan your next home purchase accordingly
The flexibility afforded by a “zero-commute” combined with theskyrocketing price of gasoline has strengthened the case forfull time teleworking and telecommuting. According to anEnvironmental Protection Agency (2004) study:“Americans spend an average of 46 hours per year stuck intraffic. Gridlock produces more than $63 billion in congestioncosts per year”The artist community has been well acquainted with the use ofwork/living spaces for years, but improvements in technologyha...
...ve made the benefits of teleworking and occasionaltelecommuting more attractive to general consumers. According tothe key findings form the International Telework Association &Council (ITAC) Telework America (2000) study:“Home-based teleworkers also have larger homes, on average,than non-teleworkers; the difference amounting to about 500square feet. The most popular place for an office in theselarger homes is a spare bedroom, with the living room a distantsecond. The primary home telework activity is computer work (55%of total activities), followed by telephoning, reading,and—averaging 7% of the time—face to face meetings.”As you purchase your next home, there are certain factors toconsider if you need to set up a new home office:Make sure that your high-tech needs can be met. Have aqualified electrician inspect the wiring of the house to see ifthe system can handle the extra power load that your home officerequires. Older homes may need significant upgrades to handlethe extra power, while newer homes are built with moreenergy-efficient systems to handle the additional power alongwith heating/air conditioning requirements. If you use cable,DSL or satellite internet access, check with your local serviceprovider to see if access is available in your new neighborhood.Shop around for your telephone provider—in some cases, businessservice bundles may be more cost effective than regularresidential service. Designate where your office space will be. Determine theamount of space you will need to accommodate your work style andspace. In many cases a spare bedroom or living room space can beused, if a formal den option is not available. If your workrequires heavy telephone usage or just heads-down concentration,you may want to consider utilizing a room with a door. Doors canbe closed to reduce interruptions from other family andhousehold noises. Plan your office blueprint to include all required furniture,bookcases, computers, fax, and printers. Make sure to allow forfiling and storage space for files and extra office supplies.Lighting is critical for computer or assembly work, so make sureto allow for direct sunlight along with any specific tasklighting that may be necessary. Select flooring options thatwill allow you to work comfortably—you may wish to go withhardwood or laminate flooring to allow for your chair to movesmoothly across the floor. Install enough phone lines to coveryour home, business and fax machines needs. Is the office easily accessible? If you will expectregular package deliveries, make sure that your designatedoffice is easily accessible to the front door of the home. Thisis also necessary if you will need to meet clients or visitorsin your office and would like to ensure a professionalappearance for your business. Find out about local business requirements. Some citieshave zoning restrictions and guidelines for work/living spacesalong with tax implications. Make sure to check with your localgovernment to determine if special restrictions exist.
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