As we ride the wave out of 2020 and start to look to the future, at Altin Homes we are feeling optimistic about the year ahead.

We caught up with Yousef Mousavi, our design director, to get some insight on what we can expect in the property sphere for the remainder of the year – and into next.
Hi Yousef! It’s an interesting time for the property market at the moment. What are the key trends Altin has noticed?
Since national lockdown restrictions were lifted in August, the property market has been really strong.
Demand for larger properties has skyrocketed. According to Zoopla,three and four-bedroom houses – which can provide owners with home office spaces – are proving particularly popular.
At the moment, larger homes (three bedrooms and more) in the suburbs or countryside locations are the most popular, with small urban flats being the least favourable.
Properties are selling much faster than before the pandemic. Temporary stamp duty holidays and lower interest rates – with mortgages at their cheapest on record – are among the contributing factors.
Not to mention, mortgage approvals have soared in the past couple of months.
However, undoubtedly there will be slower growth on the horizon. Employment statistics, for example, may change the current trend over the coming months.
Design is your professional bag – what do you forecast for interiors in the next year or so?
Dedicated home offices, or a space designed specifically for working from home, are starting to be incorporated in new designs.
Outdoor and garden offices are also becoming more popular. There is more interest around gardens with decking – grey and black colours are the most in demand.
This colour scheme can also be seen with larger balconies and roof gardens. Pure glass balustrading creates a very sleek and contemporary look, with minimal maintenance.
And what has Altin got going on at the moment?
We’re working on a number of planning applications for potential sites in Cheshire, which will be announced once finalised.
Unfortunately, at the moment we’re finding planning and construction processes are progressing quite slowly across the industry. This is, of course, the result of COVID uncertainty.
While this will definitely have an impact on the timing of future developments, we’re optimistic and always planning as far in advance as possible.
Tell us how 2021 is looking…
We’re currently working on two development sites in Cheshire for our Bijou collection. This will be an ongoing process throughout 2021, and we’re aiming to have these delivered early 2022.
It’s undoubtedly a tricky time for a lot of industries, and ours is no exception. That said, we’re lucky in the property sector because the demand for homes is constant – and meeting it never stops!
We’re looking forward to a strong start to 2021, and we’re fully prepared for the year ahead.
For more information about our upcoming and ongoing developments, visit our portfolio.