A topsy-turvy economy and collective student debt have made homebuying a difficult prospect for the millennial demographic, but this group is beginning to leave its mark on the real estate market and significantly impact trends in home design. Though millennials may take their time to purchase homes compared with previous generations, they are increasingly looking to buy, and they have some definite ideas about the types of home designs they’re willing to sign on the dotted line for. Because this up-and coming group is pushing home design in exciting new directions, the real estate industry is taking notice of just what it is that millennials want in a home.

1. MILLENNIALSWHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR IN REAL ESTATE DESIGN?
MILLENNIALSA topsy-turvy economy and collective student debt have made homebuying a
difficult prospect for the millennial demographic, but this group is beginning to
leave its mark on the real estate market and significantly impact trends in home
design. Though millennials may take their time to purchase homes compared
with previous generations, they are increasingly looking to buy, and they have
some definite ideas about the types of home designs they’re willing to sign on
the dotted line for. Because this up-and-coming group is pushing home design
in exciting new directions, the real estate industry is taking notice of just what it
is that millennials want in a home.

2. SIZE MATTERS
Millennials are, by and large, a practical bunch. They know all about debt
with their sizable chunk of student debt following them around for years,
so they do not want to incur more debt than necessary when it comes to a
home mortgage. For this reason, millennials are opposed to the
“McMansion” designs and are content to purchase homes that are small.
In many cases, of course, it’s the smaller spaces that are within the
millennial budget, but as a group concerned about energy efficiency and
reduced waste, millennials simply prefer home designs that are compact
and tidy.
REPRESENT
68% OF FIRST TIME HOMEOWNERS
LESS EMBELISHMENTS,
MORE QUALITY
Although there are exceptions, millennials aren’t likely to be impressed by
crown molding or luxury embellishments that come with substantial price
tags. In terms of design, minimalism drives the millennial aesthetic, so an
abundance of “showy” features isn’t something this crowd looks for when
home shopping. On the other hand, millennials are interested in quality
materials. They aren’t going to be impressed by inferior building materials
and may, in considerable numbers, be in search of durable
environmentally friendly materials when searching for homes.

3. OPEN FLOOR PLANS
Open floor plans are attractive to millennials for a few reasons. Millennials dislike a lot of partitions because they enjoy
the flexibility of an open space. Millennials are social and like to entertain, so the open floor plan gives them the room
they need even if the overall square footage is on the small side. Millennials also like to live casually, so the notion of
different rooms for this or that activity (i.e. formal dining room) is simply not a high priority for them. In smaller homes,
open floor plans keep the space from feeling closed and more compact than it actually is.
Millennials are very social and prefer
spaces that are easy to entertain in.

4. LOW MAINTENANCE
A large landscape isn’t something that millennials want to tend. They’d
rather spend their free time enjoying a barbecue on the cement patio with
friends than mowing a large lawn. The same holds true for the interior.
Millennials prefer new spaces to older ones that require a lot of work
and a lot of extra investment. Millennials prefer highly efficient homes
designed with quality materials so they can enjoy their homes without
having to work ceaselessly to maintain them. For this reason, home
owners selling a finished home will attract more millennials than
homeowners with older homes requiring a lot of elbow grease.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL
SPACES
Dining room and office or bedroom and home gym--the millennial is all
about functional spaces. Because millennials tend to care little about the
traditional formality when it comes to home design, they are content to
attach multiple purposes to each space. Millennials are less concerned
about formal living rooms and more attached to open kitchen spaces
where they can entertain while cooking. An office space in a kitchen
nook or a game station in the living room isn’t something that will ruffle a
millennial’s feathers.

5. TECH EFFICIENT
Millennials would much prefer to purchase a smaller “smart” home than a
larger home that’s technically deficient. This generation is all about
technology and smart gadgets. In fact, millennials are driving the
tech-friendly home design movement with their savvy know how and
attraction to all things tech. Plenty of outlets and an emphasis on heating
and cooling efficiency are paramount to millennial home buyers. Homes
that come with tech-savvy features will certainly appeal to this generation
of real estate buyers.
BELIEVE BUYING A HOME IS A
GOOD FINANCIAL INVESTMENT84%
DESIGN ORGIGINALITY
Millennial homebuyers may be looking for a good deal, but they don’t
want to settle for a cookie cutter design. Millennials value innovation and
originality. Aside from the minimalist aesthetic, many enjoy industrial
concepts when it comes to design. If they do take design cues from a
retro era, they often gravitate to Mid-Century Modern designs popular
during the 1950s and known for their sleek streamlined aesthetic.
Unusual floor plans and unusual materials do not put off the millennial
home buyer as they might a buyer from another generation.

6. Find out more millennial design trends:
www.ASPIREMetro.com to learn more!
Millennial homebuyers are certainly impacting new trends in home design. This group is
financially conservative for a number of reasons, but they will spend on designs that meet their
current needs like flexible spaces and advanced technology features. Millennials aren’t
interested in investing in the more showy features that earlier generations cared for; they
simply want to enjoy life in the here and now and opt for a space that supports their current
lifestyle. Practical, functional, and excellent quality materials are hallmarks of the millennial
home. Moreover, these sound principles that guide this group’s home-buying decisions may not
even be confined to them for long. There’s every possibility that many home buyers in other
demographics will gravitate toward these design trends too as they make sense--even good
fiscal sense.
SOURCES FOR DATA: Ballinger, Barbara, “What Millennial Buyers Want (Now),” Realtor Mag., 10/2014.(http://realtormag.realtor.org/home-and-design/architecture-coach/article/2014/10/what-millennial-buyers-want-now” http://realtormag.realtor.
org/home-and-design/architecture-coach/article/2014/10/what-millennial-buyers-want-now)Carrion, Angelly, “House Hunting Habits: Millennial Edition,” Philadelphia Property, 9/2015. (http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/09/16/millenni-
al-home-buying-trends/” http://www.phillymag.com/property/2015/09/16/millennial-home-buying-trends). Kayla, Devon, Lindsay Machak and Laura McNulty, “Millennial Home Buyer: Fact vs. Fiction,” Builder, 01/2015(http://www.builderonline.
com/design/consumer-trends/millennial-home-buyer-fact-vs-fiction_o” http://www.builderonline.com/design/consumer-trends/millennial-home-buyer-fact-vs-fiction_o). Johnson City Area Home Builders Association, “What Millennials Want in a
Home,”(http://www.jcahba.org/index.php/78-demo-contents/155-what-millennials-want-in-a-home” http://www.jcahba.org/index.php/78-demo-contents/155-what-millennials-want-in-a-home). KSBW.com, “How Will Millennials Influence Future
Home Designs?” (http://www.ksbw.com/real-estate-essentials/how-will-millennials-influence-future-home-designs/28029440” http://www.ksbw.com/real-estate-essentials/how-will-millennials-influence-future-home-designs/28029440). Little,
Shelley, “Why Millennials Are Moving Design Trends,” Fresh Home, 08/2015. (http://freshome.com/why-millennials-are-moving-home-design-trends” http://freshome.com/why-millennials-are-moving-home-design-trends). McLaughlin, Camilla,
“What Millennials Want in a New Home,” New Home Source. (http://www.newhomesource.com/resourcecenter/articles/what-millennials-want-in-a-new-home” http://www.newhomesource.com/resourcecenter/articles/what-millennials-want-in-a-
new-home).
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