As a more rural landlord, I have benefited from the WFH movement that occurred as a byproduct of C-19. When the huge companies said you could work from home, many folks moved away from urban centers and into lower cost areas.

Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Zoom and Dell all have required employees to return back to the office. It is a tough comminute to Amazon in Seattle if you live in Western Pa.

Has anyone out there lost a tenant due to the return to office?

I haven't had that exact issue yet but the sale prices *are* falling like rain. People who moved here to live at the beach and work remotely getting called back to work? Looks like it.

WMH,

Good observation on the houses returning to the sea. I've lived on barrier islands before and the sandbars do change, especially if they put jetty's on them anywhere. One I lived on in South Carolina, we had our house right on the beach then. Now it's changed and there is a street where the yard to the beach was and 2 rows of houses where I used to fish. The sandbar went out a half mile or so and there are houses on it all the way out. Next good hurricane it may well return to the sea.

I also remember overnighting in my van on Okracoke Island in 1972 when a small hurricane hit it. We were parked in the parking lot of the lighthouse. Good thing it was a small hurricane or it would have been interesting.

My area had a huge influx of the work from home people. I'll be really happy if they all go back home. I don't even care if it drops my property value. They are ruining the area I live in.

Right now, all of my tenants have local jobs so they will not be called back to the office. But there are possibly thousands of people in this area that might have to move back to Seattle. That will have some effect on prices and rent. Bring it on.

I haven't notice it on the residential side at all. My office building, since the insurance company sold to a bigger insurance company... I notice less cars at the building and people in the office. Assuming more of a hybrid system now. Some might have lost their job due to job overlap with higher up corporate (ex: payroll)

I was in Chicago last summer walking down Michigan Ave. Two guys talking behind me while my wife and I were walking along site seeing. Over heard the one guy: "I got 9 people working under me. 5 come in all the time, set hours. the other four, they do their work... but from home mostly... at odd hours. They seem to be happy, but the work flow really stinks. Those four seem to be out of the "loop".

Some jobs can totally be done more efficiently from home.

I was an "outside sales rep" whose job was to BE outside, calling on customers. On in-office days, I worked from home.

I was definitely more productive than when a new company bought us and required us all to come in the office when we weren't calling on customers. Sounds reasonable until you realize we were assigned territories all over the region and for many of the us, the drive to the office was a total waste of time and gas. Actually cut into our working day.

And the water-cooler conversations oy vey! EVERY morning people stopped by my cubicle (who designed those h*ll holes?) to chat about last night's tv show, their evening, their coming day...it took hours every morning to get everyone to work (it felt like...) I would cover my ears sometimes...

I finally brought in a shower curtain and hung it across my cubicle to keep people away from me!

And then the lunches! If I worked from home I ate at my desk. If I was in the office I da*n sure took my time and ate out with colleagues.

I have two tenants who work from home exclusively. One works for the state/contractor for the state and the other works as a government grant writer, draw your own conclusions.