Do You Still Need a Home Office?

Dedicated home offices are transitioning from must-haves to maybes, as many employees spend more days at the workplace. The home office isn’t disappearing, but it is changing shape. For example, layouts are less “traditional desk in a room” and more flexible, stylish spaces that double as an office and a living area.

Home Office Layout: What Buyers Look For

The majority — 66% — of home buyers still preferred to purchase a home with one home office in 2024, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ “What Home Buyers Really Want” survey. That said, how homeowners assess that workspace is evolving.

“Setting up or staging a home office area is absolutely beneficial for most sellers, since working from home is so common,” says Kelly Dellinger, a sales associate with the Coastal Properties Team at Akers Ellis Real Estate in Charleston, S.C. “[It] would help a buyer see a potential ‘best use’ even if there is not a formal designated home office space built in.”

For example, you could set up a small area in the kitchen or dining room that could serve as a command center and home office, Dellinger says. Or you could put a desk in the corner of a spare bedroom or bonus room, or convert a closet into a “cloffice,” she adds.

The decision about a dedicated room devoted to work is based less on hours logged and more on workflow, say designers. If a homeowner requires privacy for calls, sensitive tasks, or long periods of focus, a dedicated room may still provide the best results. For the growing number of hybrid workers splitting their time between an office and home, however, space-saving options may be just as effective.

What About the Home Office Tax Deduction?

The IRS home office deduction is often misunderstood. To qualify, a taxpayer must use the space regularly and exclusively for business. The space can be an entire room or just a separate area; it doesn’t need to be permanently divided off. If you scale down from a fully dedicated room to a multiuse space that also serves personal purposes, you lose eligibility, because you aren’t meeting the “exclusive use” requirement.

For those who qualify, the potential tax savings may be appealing. Under the “simplified method,” for example, you can deduct $5 per square foot for your business use of the space, up to 300 feet. As with any deduction, it’s important to verify that you meet the rules before claiming it. Consult an accountant and review IRS guidance.

Lean into Flexible Workspaces

Evolving home workspaces are adopting more-flexible setups — small built-ins, cleverly zoned corners, or multiuse rooms.

Flexible options extend to custom furniture, such as murphy beds tucked into walls behind desks, like those available from Resource Furniture. For a more budget-friendly choice, consider an armoire, says Veronique Perrin, a real estate agent and home stager at Coldwell Banker Warburg. “The beauty is that when you close those doors, the workspace disappears,” she adds.

“Even if people are back in office buildings, buyers still want a flex space that supports hybrid work, studying, hobbies, bill paying, or overflow needs,” says Lindy Curtis, a home stager at Consciously Curated Home Staging in Denver.

Home Office Staging Ideas for Sellers

Curtis recommends these modern home office ideas, especially for home sellers:

• Layer in baskets, shelves, and closed storage to reduce visual noise. Use furniture that’s light and movable so buyers can imagine the room with different functions.
• Add soft seating, like a corner chair draped with a throw blanket, to transform the space into a reading nook, a meditation corner, or a guest overflow.
• Use neutral, calm décor to convey a reset space rather than a busy workspace.

Whether you have a home office that’s a separate room or part of a living space or is devoted to work or not depends on your work style and your home’s layout. Either way, you’ll benefit from reimagining your space to optimize flexibility.

Melissa Dittmann Tracey is an award-winning journalist covering the housing market. You can hear her weekly as the host of Real Estate Today. She is also the creator of the Styled, Staged & Sold blog and a contributing editor for REALTOR® News. Follow her on Instagram @housingmuse.

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