Newly Built Homes See Decrease in Number of Bedrooms

Are four bedrooms or more too many bedrooms?

If homebuyers are looking for new construction with four or more bedrooms, their options may become more limited. The National Association of Home Builders found via the U.S. Census Bureau that the number of bedrooms in newly constructed single-family homes is continuing to drop. Construction on single-family homes with four or more bedrooms has been declining since 2015. In 2016, 44.8% of newly built homes had four or more bedrooms, but dropped to 43.5% in 2018.

The number of new construction with three-bedroom homes has seen a decline in the past decade, reaching 45% in 2018, after peaking at 54% in 2009, however, the number of three-bedroom homes remains the biggest category of what is being built today. The number of two-bedroom newly built homes fell from a high of 14% in 2008, but saw a slight boost in 2018 to 11%. NAHB suggests that some of this new construction is now being aimed at first-time buyers, an area where more inventory is sorely needed. An August 2019 NAHB report found that the overall home size of newly built single-family homes had also seen a decrease, reaching 2,245 square feet from 2,465 square feet.

Additionally, with more homeowners considering downsizing, more demand for smaller homes may hit the market in 2020.

In the Middle Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, four-or-more-bedroom homes saw a sharp decline over the past three years in new construction. In 2015, about 48% of new homes had four bedrooms or more, and by 2018, only about 43% of new homes had that many bedrooms.