What Builders are Featuring in Todays Homes - Part 1

America’s home builders closely follow the preferences of today’s home buyers to ensure they enjoy their new homes. For example, builders responded at the height of the pandemic by adding square footage in new homes since people were spending more time at home. Now the trend is shifting, partly due to housing affordability factors. Here are a few notable trends in the residential construction industry based on recent U.S. Census Bureau data analyzed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). 

Home Size is Trending Lower
An expected impact of the pandemic was a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes, including work. The housing boom after covid led to a rise in new single-family home size. However, this trend appears to be reversing due to housing market conditions, namely affordability. According to  2022 third-quarter U.S. Census data and NAHB analysis, the median single-family square floor area declined to 2,276 square feet, compared to 2,326 in the third quarter of 2021.

New Homes Have More Bedrooms and Bathrooms
According to the most recent data available, only a small percentage of new single-family homes have two bedrooms or less (9.2%), while nearly half (44%) of new homes had three bedrooms and more than a third (36%) had four bedrooms. Moreover, 2021 marked the second year that the share of four-bedroom homes increased.

In addition, a majority (62%) of new single-family homes have two full bathrooms. According to an NAHB analysis, since 2005, most new homes tend to have two full bathrooms. And it is no surprise that an overwhelming majority (93%) of homes that were 5,000 square feet or more had three or more full bathrooms.

For more information on new home trends or how to find a home builder in our community, contact Central Washington Home Builders Association at 509.454.4006 or CWHBA.org.