Location has not stopped mattering. What counts as a good location has changed, and the old proxies for it are getting less reliable.
Beyond the bedroom suburb
Areas built purely for sleeping and commuting are losing ground to places with somewhere to go. The third space, meaning the destinations that are neither home nor work, has become a genuine value driver.
Design that supports wellbeing
Light, air, acoustic calm and access to green space now outrank many traditional luxury finishes. Buyers who spend more hours at home price the experience of being there, not just the specification list.
Connectivity over proximity
Reliable internet and flexible access matter more than raw distance to a central business district for a large share of buyers. That reprices areas that were previously discounted purely on commute time.
Friction removal
Technology that makes daily living smoother, from access systems to service integration, is becoming an expected feature rather than a differentiator.
The takeaway
Comparable sales based on distance to downtown are increasingly mispricing property. The homes outperforming are the ones sitting in places people actually want to spend time.
Read the full breakdown on HouseCashers.com