Cents & Sensibility-Home Improvers
This is the forth of four blogs on the Cents & Sensibility of the 2010 HOMEBUYER having to do with smaller and more energy-efficient homes.
It was reported in a RISMEDIA article dated January 22, 2010—Better Homes and Gardens recently revealed proprietary research and insights on what consumers are looking for in their next home and overall priorities guiding current and future home improvement projects.
The survey of nationwide potential new home buyers and existing home owners who are planning improvements in the next few months found top priorities to include;
- price
- energy-efficiency
- organization
- comfort
HOME IMPROVERS
“With the economy still a major concern, right now it’s more about the ‘got to’ improvements than the ‘want to’ improvements,” said Nusbaum. “The focus is now on low-cost improvements that will pack a big punch.”
With only 16% feeling “now is the right time to spend” on home improvements vs 38% saying “now is not the right time to spend,” 52% are focusing their efforts on needed repairs and maintenance.
Three-quarters (76%) say the economy has had an impact on their home improvement plans, with half (50%) having changed their home improvement plans during the last year.
Smaller projects prove to be the most popular, such as painting a room (54%), replacing/adding flooring or carpeting (38%), decorating/redecorating a room (35%) and landscaping the yard (30%).
Energy-efficiency is also a focus of future home projects, with respondents placing importance on installation of Energy Star windows/doors (34%), high-efficiency heating/cooling (31%) and Energy Star appliances (31%).
