But for Charlotte Pearson and Andy Rogers, the pandemic has provided new opportunities they hadn't envisioned.

Miss Pearson is an accountant working for full-time a firm in Southbank while Mr Rogers works in customer service in the financial sector for a superannuation fund.

Pre-pandemic, the couple were living in a share house on the outskirts of Melbourne and looking to potentially buy a unit in the city.

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Fast forward 18 months, they've bought a house in Bendigo with their puppy in tow as both their workplaces have pivoted to permanent working from home arrangements.

"We were even the underbidders in March 2020, so we couldn't have been much closer to calling a place in Melbourne our own," Miss Pearson said.

"As the pandemic hit, we both found ourselves working successfully from home pretty quickly.

"Andy was actually one of the first from his work to set up from home, as one of our housemates had just returned from a trip to Japan, which was considered a red zone.

What initially started as Miss Pearson asking if the couple should stay with her parents in Echuca for a couple of weeks, soon turned into over 18 months living in the twin towns.

As the pandemic continued and office closures remained enforced, the reality of extended periods of working from home was realised by both of the couple's employers.

Miss Pearson's office now caters to staff located interstate and a few days a week of time in the office where possible.

Mr Roger's work has three streams of employees; those who permanently work in the office, those who work from home and those who mix between the two.

"We both love the flexibility of working from home," Miss Pearson said. "We like many others through the pandemic, got ourselves a new puppy, who we have been able to spend a lot of our time with due to being at home rather than in the office.

"The transition to working from home has allowed us to comfortably manage a move out of the city into regional Victoria, which previously would have been made much more difficult if we were required to either change jobs or commute long hours."

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The pair had been looking at buying their first home for a few years, and eventually settled on Bendigo as it gives them "the best of both worlds", the relaxed atmosphere of regional Victoria and the easy commute to the city when Miss Pearson needs to be in the office.

"While our lives have drastically changed through the pandemic, our career aspirations haven't so much, but the new reality of working from home has altered how we are able to achieve these goals," Miss Pearson said.

"Like many others, we did have many grand travel plans that have now been forced on to the back burner.

"We have found ourselves happy making a long-term move out of the city and in to regional Victoria.

"We have now got a wonderful home and dog to share it all with and, like everyone, we are growing increasingly fatigued of the ongoing threat and reality of lockdowns.

"But to be honest, if we do get locked away and forced to stay in our homes, we are glad to get to be locked away in a home and area that we have quickly fallen in love with."

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