Different generations value different things, no surprise there. That doesn’t mean, however, that there is no crossover appeal, especially when it comes to home buying. There are some things that are desirable regardless of whether you are a Millennial or a Baby Boomer, a Gen Xer or a Senior.
For example, a nationwide survey conducted by NAHB discovered that a laundry room and Energy Star appliances were marked as either essential or desirable by 92 percent and 90 percent of respondents respectively, regardless of generation. Other important features included exterior lighting (90 percent), Energy Star rating for whole home (88 percent), and Energy Star windows (87 percent). It isn’t hard to see the common theme of energy efficiency here.
Additionally, when separated by generation, the differences in the responses still are not that great. Millennials, Gen Xers, and Seniors all ranked a laundry room as the most wanted feature. Meanwhile, a laundry room was third among Baby Boomers, still a high priority.
Just as important as what buyers do want, is what they do not want. Elevators (63 percent), pet washing stations (54 percent), and wine cellars (53 percent) were the top three no-nos among all respondents.
