Female millennials focusing on personalization in homeownership

Better Homes and Gardens recently released findings from their annual survey, revealing attitude and behavior trends of female homeowners in the country.

This year, the magazine put an emphasis on millennials, and their preference on customization and smart technology in home designs. More than 1,6000 female homeowners living in single-family homes shared their opinions on the survey.

“Our research shows that women 35 and under feel strongly that their homes are a reflection of their own personalities,” Brand Executive Editor Jill Waage said. “Further, members of this generation view technology as a way to customize living spaces to fit their needs. Year over year, millennials are increasingly adopting a positive outlook on the incorporation of smart technology into their homes, and are using it to personalize the homeowner experience.”

According to their findings, 63 percent of millennial respondents in the survey replied that having a home customized to their tastes and needs is a top priority. Additionally, 60 percent of those respondents replied that having a home that is a reflection of them is more important to them than to their parents’ generation.

As noted before on JustListed, smart technology is growing increasingly popular, especially with millennials. Of the females surveyed, many think smart home technology is a feature that improves home safety, health and connections with families. Nearly three-fourths of millennials surveyed agreed that smart technology is customizable to their needs, while 70 percent believe it makes their homes more energy efficient, and two-thirds replied that it saves them time.

Nearly half of millennials are more willing to spend extra money to get the quality and features they desire than older generations, but 60 percent of millennials also said they would compromise to save money.

Of the respondents, 20 percent are planning or currently working on a home interior project. Thirteen percent of millennial homeowners are creating a home office, work space or family communication center, and 15 percent are adding storage space.

Interestingly, a third of millennial homeowners said that exterior makeovers are costly and not a worthwhile investment. On that note, nearly half said landscaping was the best investment for exterior work.

“The places where millennials choose to spend their money are very telling of the values within this generation,” Waage said. “The addition of a home work space speaks to the mobile millennial who is less confined by a corporate office or job. And with the addition of smart home technology, millennial attitudes toward the home incorporate connectivity in every sense.”