Trends: New Construction Homes Might Stick Around and Here's Why

by Lisa Duguay, ABR, SRES 08/01/2021

Photo by Nicholas Lim from Pexels

People are buying new construction homes again, and experts expect the trend to continue. But why do analysts believe new construction is on the rise? Several factors are coming together.

Quarantine Fatigue

In the housing industry, there has been overall growth in the purchasing of single-family homes. Some of this buying activity is the result of the pandemic. Many people found themselves in cramped apartments with no yard and no ability to enjoy shared community spaces like playgrounds, tracks, sportsplexes and gyms.

This left many people eager to make some elbow room for themselves.

Limited Inventory = Skyrocketing Prices

With more people moving out of cramped condos and apartments and those in housings desiring to stay, we see a housing bottleneck. There are fewer houses than people who want them, and this is driving existing home prices up.

Builders meet this demand by increasing the number of new builds to increase the inventory while also benefiting from the rising prices. The market has cooled slightly as many developers have bought up land and builders have jumped into action, creating more competition among themselves. However, the demand is still there and higher than usual.

More Remote Work

It's no secret that a lot of companies sent their employees to home offices during the pandemic. But what you may not realize is that a large number have already confirmed that they will be keeping a percentage of employees remote. This is driving new construction home buildings in two primary ways. 

First, when people can work from anywhere, they can move anywhere, including their dream homes, wherever they may be. Second, if you're working from home, you want that space to be the ideal workspace, so many are moving out of cramped existing homes and apartments and into more expansive dwellings. 

Time to Move Away from the Tiny Home

The Tiny Home trend may recover after the pandemic. But for now, living in a tiny space, especially if you're sharing it with another person is looking a lot less attractive. People are going big right now. They want open floor plans and lots of space to work out, work and play at home. This is driving an increase in the number of bigger single-family homes beginning construction.

New Residential Home Construction Trends

2020 has been a transitional year for every industry. We can expect many of the mindsets and consumer habits to continue well into the future as more people are thinking about what it means to live in a multi-family complex or city. The new construction may slow, but the desire for new construction is likely to stay with us for some time. 

About the Author
Author

Lisa Duguay, ABR, SRES

Lisa is a sales and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience representing buyers and sellers throughout Fairfield County. Her deep understanding of local residential markets and current trends along with the exceptional local and global networking resources of Berkshire Hathaway allow her to provide the highest level of personalized, professional and confidential services to her clients. An experienced listener and negotiator, she works with her clients to thoroughly understand and achieve the results they desire. Dedicated, discreet, ethical, honest and principled, Lisa has been consistently recognized as a top producing agent and is a trusted resource within her communities. * Certified Relocation Specialist *Accredited Real Estate Buyer’s Representative (ABR) *Accredited, Senior Real Estate Specialist Council (SRES) *Member, National Association of Realtors *Member, Connecticut Association of Realtors *Member, Greater Fairfield Board of Realtors * Member, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Lisa is a lifelong area resident who grew up in Westport and currently resides in Southport. She is actively involved as a volunteer for several local organizations including the CT Alzheimer’s Association.