With 2020 coming to a close, it’s time to really start thinking about what 2021 will bring, especially when it comes to what homebuyers want. Zillow.com [1] has released the top 10 home trends for the coming year, each likely to increase in popularity as the months go on.
Of course, coronavirus-influenced living is the main driver for many of the emerging trends we’re seeing, and that will continue throughout the year.
There’s a renewed desire for new construction. Many buyers—37% according to a 2020 Zillow survey—want a never-lived-in-before space, because they perceive it as much cleaner. No one has ever spent the night there, used the kitchen, or gotten sick within the walls. A newly constructed home is a completely fresh start.
New construction is also customizable—at least far easier to customize than a pre-standing home. Buyers want the chance to have everything they want—a home office, a spa-like bathroom, a chef’s kitchen—the second they close on the property. New construction gives them that option. Over a quarter of buyers polled on Zillow chose customizability as the reason they wanted new.
On the Zillow website, traffic for newly constructed homes has increased a whopping 82% in Q3 versus the same quarter last year.
Homebuyers are also fleeing the big cities for smaller, more affordable communities in tinier towns. Search traffic data has revealed this as a big 2020 trend that is only going to get more popular in 2021.
Because of office jobs shifting to remote working, many feel like living closer to and within metropolitan areas isn’t a priority anymore. In fact, small cities in a dozen different markets saw their out-of-town traffic double in the last year. And new pending sales for cities with a population between 54,000 and 137,000 has increased 34.3% since last year.
As telework continues, so will the trend of living outside of big cities.
Other trends that are picking up steam are smart houses with no-touch tech, indoor-inspired amenities outside, gourmet kitchens, and architecture that favors intergenerational living. Visit Zillow.com [1] to read more about the top 10 home trends for 2021.