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Mark Nash, author of the book "1,001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home," interviewed hundreds of real estate professionals about upcoming trends in home remodeling. In this Washington Post article, Nash states that many of the results were surprising. In discussing 'The Hot and the Not', he found that many agents said that adding a Home Office was a big trend for 2007.

Today, technological advances and flexible schedules have made it easier for people to work from home. Many want more productivity by spending less time commuting or to access work-related projects at any hour of the day or night. It means having all the right tools - computer, high speed Internet capability, storage, and office furniture - to get the job done as if the person were in their regular office.

The article even suggests that some families are choosing to add two home offices - one for each household adult - to make sure there is enough room for both wage earners.

Adding a home office can not only be a great tool for you, it can be an attractive selling point when it comes time to move on.

"'More people want a home office today than anything else I've seen this year,' one agent said. 'They want to work from home.'"

The author found that many real estate professionals are suggesting that homeowners who want to sell their homes should turn their smallest bedroom into a home office for their open house. Homeowners are smart enough to know that the home office can be turned back into a bedroom but it might be a good idea to install computers, put in a desk or two, and give them a picture of how it could look as an office.

Whether you're looking to sell your house, or you have need of such a space, what will do you need to create the perfect Home Office?

• A Desk or Workstation - high end office furniture that fits well with the size of the room and has a decent comfort factor
  


• High Speed Cable, Fiber Optics, or perhaps even a T1 line installed - instant connectivity is a valuable selling tool


• Storage Room - people love to have plenty of storage in nearly every room and the home office is no exception. Storage room means being able to organize files but also books and manuals
  


• Good Lighting - a single, harsh, overhead light is not going to cut it in a home office. Install quality task lighting for the desk or work station and accent lights around the room (either recessed lighting or lamps)
  


• Office Accessories - adding printers, shredders, phones and phone lines, copiers, computers, and even a small stereo system can complete the home office. Artwork is a final consideration, if you have room for it - it might be better to use any available space for a dry erase board

If you need any help with setting up a home office, Construction Deal may be able to help! Whether you need an Electrician to help with lighting installations, a Home Tech installer to add DSL, T1 and home office phone lines, or a Remodeling Contractor to help with the entire project - we can match you to quality local professionals... for free!