The remote work era isn't over and secondary market listings need to look just as sharp

The return-to-office push made headlines. But the data tells a different story. Millions of workers are still operating remotely or hybrid and they are still buying property outside major cities. If your secondary market listing looks like an afterthought, you are invisible to the most active buyer segment in regional real estate right now.

Reports of remote work's death have been greatly exaggerated

Every few months, a wave of headlines announces that the remote work era is ending. Major corporations mandate returns. Office occupancy ticks up. Pundits declare the great urban exodus over. And yet, the numbers keep telling a more complicated story.

As of early 2025, more than 40% of knowledge workers globally still work remotely at least part of the week. In sectors like technology, finance, creative industries, and professional services the sectors most likely to produce buyers with the financial capacity to purchase in secondary markets hybrid and remote arrangements remain the dominant working pattern. The people who relocated to regional towns, coastal communities, and rural properties during the pandemic have not all moved back. Many have put down roots. And a steady stream of new remote workers is still making the same calculation every month: why pay city prices when I can live somewhere I actually want to be?

For agents operating in secondary markets, this is not a temporary trend to ride out. It is a structural feature of the buyer pool that requires a permanent upgrade to how listings are presented.

The gap between city and regional listing quality is costing agents money

Walk through any major property portal and the disparity is immediately visible. City listings particularly in premium suburbs are almost universally shot with professional cameras, edited with care, and presented on portal pages that reflect the investment made in the property's marketing. Regional and secondary market listings are far more inconsistent. Many are shot on smartphones. Few are professionally edited. Some look as though the agent took the photos on the way to another appointment.

This gap exists partly because of historical assumptions about who is buying in secondary markets assumptions that no longer hold. The remote worker searching for a three-bedroom home in a coastal town with a dedicated office space and fast internet is not a less sophisticated buyer than the city professional searching in an inner suburb. They are often the same person. They carry the same visual expectations. And they will respond to a poorly presented listing in exactly the same way by moving on.

What the remote work buyer is actually looking for

Understanding who is browsing secondary market listings right now helps agents photograph and present properties far more effectively. The remote work buyer has a specific set of priorities that differ meaningfully from the traditional owner-occupier or local investor:

City listings vs. regional listings — the playing field is not even

The remote work buyer is typically comparing properties across multiple markets simultaneously — weighing a regional town against a city suburb, or two different coastal locations against each other. When a city listing with professional photography goes head-to-head with a regional listing shot on a phone, the city listing wins the first impression every time — even if the regional property is objectively better value.

The regional listing has the substance. It often lacks the presentation. Closing that gap with professional editing is how secondary market agents compete on equal visual terms with city listings — and win buyers who are actively looking to leave the city.

The specific editing priorities for secondary and regional listings

Not all editing carries the same weight in secondary markets. Here is where the investment makes the biggest difference for regional and lifestyle property listings:

A quick checklist for remote-work ready listings

Before any secondary market listing goes live, run through these questions:

• Is the outdoor lifestyle area the first or second photo in the set?
• Is the home office or study photographed separately and edited clearly?
• Are all interior shots bright, balanced, and colour corrected?
• Does the hero exterior shot have a blue sky replacement if needed?
• Are wide-angle environment shots included to give location context?
• Has clutter, laundry, and personal items been removed from all shots?
• Does the listing description mention internet connectivity and workspace?
• Would a buyer in a city apartment look at these photos and feel genuine envy?

That last question is the real test. If a city buyer browsing on their lunch break looks at your regional listing and thinks "that looks like somewhere I could actually live" — the photography has done its job.