Larger Yards, More Space Among Top Home Features Wanted

The coronavirus pandemic is influencing younger generations’ housing decisions, a recent National Association of Realtors® survey found.

The 2020 Community and Transportation Preference Surveys found that 56% of millennials and Generation Z with children want a large yard in a driving community, which is up 11% from February and a change from that same time when this demographic reported their preference was a smaller yard in a walkable community.

With so many more Americans working from home, it should come as no surprise that the desire to be near public transit fell 8% from February, and the need to be close to a highway fell 5%.

Additionally, 55% of respondents said they want an office or private workspace. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they would like to move to an area with less people and more outside space. Millennials were especially keen on these features, 71% want a larger yard, 70% want a larger home and 67% want a private workspace in their home.

Both millennials and Generation Z said their quality of life has decreased since the start of the pandemic. However, respondents who said they live in areas where they can easily walk many places had an 8% increase in quality of life.

Ultimately, respondents’ desire to see the government better control the pandemic outweighed other desires. Respondents felt that the government’s need to control the spread of COVID-19 and prevent future outbreaks, along with create jobs and improve the economy, outweighed the importance of helping to prevent traffic congestion via infrastructure, expanding public transportation and building more sidewalks and bike paths.