The practical answer
Choose an apartment with two usable work positions and a practical way to separate simultaneous calls. Test the actual rooms with your own devices, check chair space and camera backgrounds, and confirm each position has suitable connectivity and power. Treat a balcony desk as an optional pleasure, not the only second workspace. Room count alone does not prove suitability.
Start with the hour when both of you are busy
Describe a demanding weekday before looking at desk furniture. Note when calls overlap, which person needs a larger screen and whether either handles confidential conversations. Include time differences with colleagues: an evening meeting may occupy the living room just when the other person wants to relax. A home that supports occasional email may not suit two client-facing jobs.
Put these requirements into your property buying brief. Ask for floor plans with actual furniture positions rather than accepting a general description such as ‘ideal for remote working’. Your goal is to preserve both a working day and a home life.
Find two genuine desk positions on the plan
Measure the intended desk, chair movement and the route past it. Open wardrobe and balcony doors while someone sits in the proposed position. Check whether the second workspace displaces essential storage or makes the bedroom difficult to use. A spare corner is useful only when it remains comfortable with the rest of the furniture in place.
| Position | Potential benefit | Question to test |
|---|---|---|
| Separate room | A door between callers | Can it stay closed comfortably? |
| Bedroom desk | Uses an existing room | Does work disrupt rest? |
| Living-room desk | Easy everyday access | Can the other person still use the kitchen? |
Mark both desks on the same drawing. This reveals compromises that separate photographs can hide.
Listen from the other room, not only through headphones
Ask permission to run a simple conversation test: one person speaks normally at each proposed desk while the other listens from the second position. Repeat with doors closed and cooling running. Notice sound through a shared doorway, ventilation opening or corridor. Headphones can improve what a caller hears, but they do not stop their own voice travelling through the apartment.
Microsoft describes Teams voice isolation as a tool for filtering surrounding sound and other voices from a call. That can help meeting participants; it does not make the room confidential. Where privacy matters, prioritise physical separation and your employer’s requirements.
Run the meeting you actually need to hold
Test both work positions at the same time using the intended internet connection. Include the activities your work requires, such as screen sharing and receiving a video call. A quick phone speed test beside the router leaves important questions unanswered. Ask a remote participant whether speech stays clear, then swap positions and compare the result.
The official Teams device settings guide explains its test-call and audio controls. Use the equivalent tools in your own meeting software. For an unfinished home, record what cannot yet be tested and request a later demonstration; a show apartment’s connection does not verify the unit you will buy.
Keep the sea view without sacrificing the workday
Sit facing the camera at your likely working hour. Check bright backgrounds, reflections on the screen, curtain access and whether a normal lamp would be sufficient. Try the position with cooling on and doors closed, because those are the conditions you may need during meetings. A terrace can be a lovely place to read, but changing light, wind and background activity make it an uncertain sole workspace.
When comparing plans at Red Hills Sahl Hasheesh or another development, request dimensions for the specific unit. Project photographs illustrate a setting; they cannot establish that your desk arrangement will fit.
Price the adjustments before you commit
List any extra sockets, cable routes, blinds, lighting or furniture required. Confirm permissions and obtain suitable quotations before treating those changes as straightforward. Do not assume a new internal partition is possible or approved. For help arranging the practical follow-up, review the available viewing and after-sales services.
Then make one final choice together: does the apartment still feel like a home after both workspaces are installed? A successful purchase supports working hours without permanently consuming every shared surface. Send the measured plan and your working pattern when you request a focused shortlist, so each viewing answers the same questions.
Your buyer checklist
- Mark both desk positions and chair clearance on one floor plan.
- Identify the hours when two calls are likely to overlap.
- Test normal speech between the proposed workspaces.
- Run simultaneous calls on the intended connection.
- Check camera light, cooling and nearby power outlets.
- Confirm costs and permissions for any changes before committing.
Turn your priorities into a shortlist
Bring your questions to the next viewing and compare the same details across each apartment. Start with a focused selection of homes in Sahl Hasheesh.