Are New Construction Homes the Way of the Future?
The coronavirus pandemic has certainly changed the way we live, and that includes how we view the place we live: the home. Not only might the COVID-19 pandemic lead to the demise of the open floor plan, it may also cause many of us to look at new-construction homes with high-tech amenities with renewed interest.
According to a new Zillow report, page views for new-construction home listings on the real estate database skyrocketed 73 percent from last year. The report notes many home builders are predicting that a demand for more private, spacious homes will dictate building decisions for the future.
“Open floor plans are changing. People are feeling like they need more privacy, so we’ll see more doors—especially for home offices—more insulation for noise control, and separate spaces to keep the kids busy while parents work,” says Katie Detwiler, vice president of marketing at Berks Homes. “More people will work from home in the future, period. There will need to be space and privacy to accommodate that.”
Last year’s Consumer Housing Trends Report from Zillow found that new-construction home buyers were likely to rank the fact that everything in the home is brand-new and has never been used by another owner as a top reason for choosing a new-build home. Another top reason for choosing to build a custom home included being able to create your own floor plan.
While a new-construction home is a great idea for anyone who is looking to move and has the funds and the time to wait for their perfect home to be constructed, not all of us can (or want to) embark on building a brand-new, custom home. There are plenty of other ways to ensure your home is as safe, private, and germ-free as you desire.
Kelly says her team is thinking of ways to keep germs away from main living spaces, which you can certainly translate to your own home. Installing sliding doors (like barn doors) to break up open rooms, adding mudrooms to garages to get clean before entering the house, and installing smart-home features like touchless faucets, bidets, and self-cleaning toilets are all some of the important customizations she expects to become increasingly popular.
“Touchless faucets and bidets are only the beginning,” Kelly says. “Just wait until the floor tile takes your temperature and the bathroom mirror checks your vitals. Exciting new products are on the horizon when it comes to keeping a clean, safe, and healthy home.”
The coronavirus pandemic has certainly impacted the housing market in 2020 thus far, and as flexible work arrangements and online learning become the norm, we're interested to see how it impacts houses as well.
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