Posted on March 1st, 2014
Recently we see that young homebuyers in the United States are becoming more and more eager to buy homes. The statistics show that the percentage of American home owners under 35, which got seriously low after the housing crash, is now quickly restoring and reached 36.8% in the 3rd quarter of 2013. In comparison, the percentage in the same period of 2012 was only 36.3.
Having this in mind, it is interesting to know what exactly young homebuyers are looking for when buying a new home. After extensive research, it turned out that there are differences in the notions of men and women about the perfect home. The two genders disagree about a lot of things – whom they want to live with, where exactly they want to live and how long will they live there. However, they are of the same opinion when it comes to other aspects of home buying. Let’s examine their main agreements and disagreements.
Long-Term Residence
According to a survey data, 85.3% of women up to 35 years of age who are planning to buy a new home would like to live there for five years or more, which was true for only 73.8% of the surveyed men. In other words, we see that men under 35 are more prone to buying a home only for a temporary, short-term residence with the perspective of moving homes in under five years, while women feel like settling in rather permanently.
City vs. Urban Area
Obviously, the period of residence in the new home is not the only aspect of home buying that men and women disagree about. The suburbs are obviously the preferred location for 54.8% of women under 35, while this goes for only 47.2% of men. There were also young homebuyers from both sexes who preferred to live in a rural area – 10.6% of the women and 9.9% of the men.
Living on their own?
Another important aspect of disagreement between male and female home buyers is in terms of a partner with whom to live. When it comes to the ladies, they prefer to find the love of their life first and then move in – to put it in stats, 78% of the surveyed will move in with their spouse or partner, compared to 61.2% of the men. There are many under 35 who would also like to live with a roommate. The interesting figure is 18.4% – that is the percentage of women that are going to buy a home for themselves only.
Agreement – The Perfect Location
Despite their disagreements, men and women usually agree on one thing – where exactly should a home be located in terms of accessibility. According to the buyers under 35, the perfect location is near a good school and near their work, so that are the leading criteria when choosing the area. Good restaurants and entertainment options are also a plus. Not so important are the proximity of public transport, the affordability of the homes and the closeness to relatives or parents.