If you are preparing your home for sale, it pays to think about who may be buying it. Increasingly, especially in hot neighborhoods, that answer is “millennials.” Buyers from this generation are coming into their own en masse and demand for housing is rising swiftly. Right now they are the demographic that runs the market, due to size and influence. As “millennial” can encompass a wide range of ages, you could be dealing with first-time homeowners or established families with school-aged children. While the phrase “millennial” is nowhere near as homogenous as the media has led you to believe, it’s true that there are certain trends among the spectrum. Let’s talk about some of them right here.
Storage Space
Despite stereotypes that paint us as frivolous and drawn to form over function, let me correct you: millennials love storage space. As this generation puts down roots and grows their families, they, like so many before them, have discovered that few aspects of a home are as attractive in the long run as plenty of room to store all their stuff. To that end, rooms with lots of built-ins that maximize space are very popular, along with expanded garages lined in cabinets.
A Game Room
Young people are social creatures, and they want their homes to reflect that and provide generous space for entertainment. Studies have shown that when millennials check out potential homes, they have room for friends in mind. Consider staging your living space in a way that suggests “hang out” possibilities - a projector screen and comfy seating, or a large table with plenty of room for both dinner parties and card/game nights.
USB Outlets
Millennials have plenty of devices - phones, tablets, etc. And all these toys require chargers. Charging ports are so passe - today’s buyer prefers that about half the outlets in the living/family room, bedrooms, and kitchen be swapped out with USB-charging outlets. This is a small touch, but it’s one that will have a big impact with your young buyers.
Home Work Space
Increasingly, more and more Americans are working from home or telecommuting at least part-time. This is a move that leads to less traffic and car emissions, making life a little greener. A smart seller will stage one extra bedroom as a home office, with built-in shelving, desks, and bookcases. In a pinch, it doesn’t even need to be a whole room. A nook where the new homeowners can finish up their daily tasks or take a conference call will be equally attractive.
Cutting-Edge Tech
This should be a given - of course today’s young people are obsessed with tech - but not everyone realizes that millennials want to have control of their homes in the palms of their hands. Appliances such as smart thermostats, smart doorbells, and more that can be controlled from an app are in hot demand these days, especially if they are low-cost and don’t require a monthly subscription, and so on. Connectivity is the name of the game.
