Buyers show renewed interest in large homes
After veering away from
super-sized homes throughout the recession, Americans are yet again attracted
to the idea of bigger homes, according to the American Dream Survey, conducted
by Harris Interactive on behalf of Trulia.
The survey found that
27 percent of Americans who believe homeownership is part of achieving their
personal American Dream said that their ideal home size is more than 2,600
square feet – up from 17 percent in 2011. In fact, interest in homes of more
than 3,200 square feet nearly doubled in the last year from 6 percent in 2011
to 11 percent in 2012.
Nearly three-quarters
of those surveyed said owning a home is part of achieving their personal
American Dream. Among renters, 78 percent – many of whom may be first-time home
buyers – aspire to buy a home at some point in the future. However, most have
unrealistic expectations about their prospective starter home.
When surveying renters
on what amenities would make them fall in love with a home if they were in the
market for a home today, the top amenities were a master bathroom (62 percent),
walk-in closet (56 percent), and gourmet kitchen (50 percent). However, there
is a clear disconnect between what renters want and the reality of what actual
homeowners said they had in their first home. Only 26 percent of homeowners
said that they had an en-suite master bathroom in their first home, while just
35 percent had a walk-in closet, and 9 percent had a gourmet kitchen.
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