By the Numbers
8 in 10
Number of Americans who believe buying a home is a good financial decision, up 8 points since 2011 according to the 2013 NAR Housing Pulse Survey. More than two thirds (68 percent) say now is a good time to buy a home.
14%
The percent drop in PC sales in the first three months of 2013, according to Reuters. Americans bought fewer personal computers at a sharper decline than any three-month period since 1994, when record-keeping began.
Fifty Percent
The percent of Millennials (GenY) who decided to buy in 2012 did so in order to invest and build equity according to a Pulte Homes study. In addition, this demographic appreciates an efficient use of space, an open layout for entertaining, ample storage space, and outdoor space that extends their living areas. A Better Homes and Gardens survey showed the age group wants unique spaces, not traditional floor plans complete with a home theatre instead of a living room, a home office instead of a dining room, extra space in the kitchen for a TV instead of a second oven and nearly two-thirds said they wouldn’t purchase a home without up-to-date tech capabilities.
72.6percent
In 2012, the percent of salespeople who used social media for selling that outperformed those who weren’t using social media, according to new research conducted by Jim Keenan, a social sales specialist. He found that social media users were 23 percent more likely to exceed sales quotas than their non-social peers. More than 40 percent of those surveyed say they’ve closed between two and five deals as a result of social media. Another 10 percent of respondents attributed their social media efforts directly to closing transactions.
78%, 78% and 65%
Each of the three ethnic groups surveyed by Better Homes and Gardens viewed homeownership as an overarching lifelong goal. In fact, homeownership is considered to be the biggest indicator of status by all groups: African Americans (78 percent), Hispanics (78 percent) and Caucasians (65 percent). In addition more than half of the Hispanics (52 percent) surveyed, who do not currently own their own home, say they are focused on saving for a down payment as compared to 46 percent of African Americans and 44 percent of Caucasians who do not own their own home.
18 www.kar.com
one in three
The number of Millennials who are prepared for home maintenance (nearly 1 in 3) and would actually prefer a “fixer-upper” to a house that needs minimal repairs, according to a recent survey. Nearly half (47 percent) of Gen Yers also would be more likely to tackle a home maintenance problem themselves, rather than calling a professional to handle the job. More than 70 percent of Millennials consider themselves just as handy—if not more so—than their parents.
90
million
The population, in numbers, of largest demographic in the country’s history— the Millennials—ages 18-34.
65
%
The home ownership rate dropped to this percent in the first quarter of 2013, down slightly from 65.4 percent a year earlier, the lowest since 1995, according to the Census Bureau. The home ownership rate peaked in June 2004 when it stood at 69.2 percent.
2,306 square feet
The median U.S. home expanded to 2,306 square feet, increasing by 8 percent from 2009 and hitting an all-time record, reported CNNMoney. During the tough economic times, homes shrank by 6 percent, supposedly ending the McMansion trend and leaving the average home sized at about 2,100 square feet. So the shrinkage might not have been an indicator that homebuyers really want a smaller home. Instead, according to the NAR, people prefer a home that’s about 2,200 square feet.
96
The percent of homebuyers under the age of 44 who used the internet in their home search according to the 2012 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.
487
A Zillow analysis of all active real estate listings reveals that agents write lengthier descriptions for more upscale properties: homes under $100,000 used a median of 250 characters, compared to a median of 487 characters for houses priced higher than $1 million.