I hope it’s not too late to say Happy New Year to you all!  I hope you had some time to rest and recuperate over the festive break and new year celebrations and are now ready for whatever 2020 has to offer. 

New Decade

2020 is not just a new year, it’s a new decade. Consider the developments in our day to day life in the “tenties” and I find it hard to imagine the world 10 years from now. In the last 10 years we have seen huge technological change with the introduction of the iPad and the huge growth in smartphone use. This development – brought us social media, dating apps, podcasts and memes (what on earth is a meme?!). Are you Apple or Android? And while our phones have become TVs our TVs have become “media platforms” as Netflix and a host of other streamers have offered us films, sport and entertainment on demand.

We have discovered X-Factor, Killing Eve, Game of Thrones, Fleabag and Bake Off. Ed Sheeran and Adele have been the soundtrack of the decade while we met the first female Dr Who and James Bond morphed from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig. Movies of the ‘2010s’ have included Bourne, Bohemian Rhapsody, Frozen, more Star Wars, and even Downton Abbey the movie, together with almost every Marvel superhero film.

Not Just Technology

Technological development has led to the withering of printed media but book sales continue despite digital downloads and the music industry has come to terms with the same problem. Our cars now link to our phones with a big shift to modern cars now being powered more cleanly by electricity rather than by petrol or diesel. Social change has been at pace as the millennials mature and the introduction of same sex marriage finally happened in 2014. Popular movements including Extinction Rebellion have shown a more caring side of our nature, as has the growth in awareness of mental health.

2030?

There’s much, much more but I just don’t have room! So with all this change in the past 10 years at an ever growing pace, I can only imagine 2030 will look very different indeed…Automation, veganism, global warming, 3D printing, driverless cars, bioplastics, artificial intelligence, implanted technology and genetic engineering are going to create a world we won’t recognise. It is very exciting but a bit scary too.

We’re Still Here

Meanwhile, I predict that in 2020 Londoners will still be living in flats and houses and this is where I don’t need much imagination to tell you that we will also still be here in this new year. We’ll be using technology but we will still be speaking to you in person, still listening to your needs and desires and still helping you make your next property move. We are expecting a lot of activity in 2020 due to pent-up demand in the market so once you have settled back into your post Christmas routine please give us a call and let’s plan how we can help you.

Happy 2020 – live long and prosper!

Teresa Brewer FNAEA MARLA