Trend Myths Debunked: What Buyers Actually Want for 2020

Have you been seeing an army of beautiful freestanding tubs populating your social media feed? Only one-fifth of Americans actually want one, compared to a third of respondents who definitely do not, according to a survey by Erie Insurance. And one would think that with an aging population, people would be really interested in universal features: Think again. Trends come and go, and sometimes the truth is counterintuitive to popular belief. Here are some survey findings that will help builders sort through what trends have sticking power and which ones are just buzz. 

Think granite countertops are passé? Think again – they’re almost twice as preferred as quartz. That’s just one of the findings of a national survey of U.S. homeowners conducted on behalf of Erie Insurance. Erie Insurance commissioned the survey to gain fresh insights about homeowner preferences on a wide range of topics including design and finish preferences, aging in place features, technology, energy efficiency and more.

There’s been some buzz over the past few years about the rising popularity of quartz, but the Erie Insurance survey found granite is still the preferred choice. When homeowners were asked which countertop material they would want if building a new home today, 40% said they would definitely want granite, compared with only 23% who said they would definitely want quartz.

Other survey findings include:

• The U.S. Census Bureau has reported on the graying of America, projecting that for the first time in history, older adults will outnumber children by the year 2035. This trend has not, however, led homeowners as a whole to want universal design elements that would enable aging in place. Only about a quarter of all respondents (26%) would definitely want universal design features. The percentage is only somewhat higher (34%) among homeowners between the ages of 51 and 60.
• When it comes to energy efficient features, about a third of all respondents (32%) would definitely want solar panels on a new home, but the feature is much more coveted by men than women (41% versus 28%, respectively). There were also significant gender differences regarding preferences for tankless water heaters. 41% of men would definitely want a tankless water heater compared with 32% of women.

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