With a median adjusted household income of $69,000, the millennial cohort earns more than young adult households did at any time in the last 50 years.
Millennials are coming into the market with higher incomes and with a desire to settle down so they can build families. This younger generation is quickly making their way into suburban life.

Here are the top four ways that millennial tastes are shaping the modern housing market:

Millennials will take time to find an acceptable home.
Surveys of home searching and buying experiences found that millennials are willing to shop for over a year to find an acceptable home. With a desire for both modern home technology and a location that fits their lifestyle, they are quite particular about their investments. However, this is not too surprising considering they just spent 10 years living with their parents and working as a barista in order to save up for their down payment!

Millennials want homes and communities that are sustainable.
Surveys have demonstrated that millennials tend to be more environmentally conscious, so it is no surprise that they are the ones driving the green revolution in housing. Solar panels will continue to be more popular in single-family homes, each unit with its own battery and power management system. This is likely to result in an increase in insurance premiums, as most homeowners insurance policies cover solar panels.

Residents will have their excess energy distributed throughout the neighborhood in order to sustain the community’s energy needs while also minimizing the impact on the grid. New and more efficient features and appliances will only use the minimum amount of energy required for a given task, reducing home energy usage by as much as 50%. Experts project that this may lead to an electrical energy surplus in less than 10 years!

Millennials want new homes with new technology.
The oldest segment of millennials (aged 27-36) is big fans of smart home concepts. 36% of them have already purchased a smart home or installed smart home products, while 58% of those who have not are interested in doing so. Many older neighborhoods that are in highly sought-after locations are being rebuilt to attract these millennial buyers. Homes of interest are all smart – with the refrigerator, oven, lights, water heater, and locks entirely integrated and wirelessly connected.
In order to protect against potential power outages and network issues, these houses come with specialized closets where hubs, routers, servers, security systems, and backup power supplies are housed. Homes are even being prepared with empty conduits in order to provide control and transmission cabling for future technologies.
Smart homes, with features like water detection, humidity indicators, security systems, freeze detection indicators, and electrical monitoring, are also great assets to your home. They can serve to protect both homeowners and insurers from potential losses. Home insurers can actually benefit from partnering with smart home technology companies in order to lower risk, and this will likely also result in lower premiums for consumers.

Millennials expect a digital home buying experience.
Having grown up in a digital environment, millennials don’t want to spend days touring homes in person. Instead, they expect to shop for homes the same way they shop for everything else—online. Millennials tend to start their home search online and 58% found their current home on their mobile devices. Responding to this trend, an increasing number of realtors and brokers are now creating digital platforms for home buyers to search for their next property. More lenders are rolling out digital mortgage platforms making it easier for consumers to apply for and manage their mortgages online.
In conclusion, this younger generation’s habits, tastes, and preferences are starting to shape the housing market in new ways. It is important to know what these new buyers are looking for and to be prepared for these new changes in the market.

About Danielle Verboski

Whether you are looking for homes for sale or looking for a real estate agent to sell your home, having a dedicated professional who is committed to excellence is essential to a smooth real estate transaction. I am that person! The path to and from home ownership is best traveled with an experienced professional. Let me lead the way and help simplify the process. Born and raised in Connecticut, my level of expertise in the local area and market is unparalleled. With over 12 years of experience in the customer service industry, the undivided attention that all clients receive while working with me is what sets me apart from the rest. I am personally committed to each and every one of my clients, no matter what their role is in the Connecticut real estate market.