My column this week is referencing a new report by HireAHelper looking at which U.S. cities have the largest homes. According to a recent Pew survey, more potential and existing homeowners prefer larger houses with more rooms to accommodate specialized family tasks. Responses to additional survey questions suggest that this preference is due to an increasing number of families adapting to lifestyle changes imposed by pandemic-related restrictions—more employees working from home, parents managing online schooling for their children, and more family dinners prepared from the kitchen. To identify the cities with the largest homes, researchers calculated the percentage of existing homes in each city with four or more bedrooms and ranked them accordingly.
In Centennial, CO, 54.2% of homes have at least four bedrooms, compared to 21.6% of all U.S. homes. Out of all small U.S. cities, Centennial has the 3rd largest share of homes with 4+ bedrooms.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are rethinking whether their monthly mortgage payments should go towards obtaining bigger living spaces or securing the ease of nearby work and school proximity. Today, according to a recent Pew survey, more potential and existing homeowners prefer larger houses with more rooms to accommodate specialized family tasks, rather than smaller houses with shorter commutes to work, school, and consumer conveniences.
That survey conducted in the summer of 2021 is comparable to a similar survey conducted in 2019 before the pandemic hit. The latest survey found that people are now more likely to prefer owning a home in a community where “houses are larger and farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.” Further, fewer people are willing to own smaller homes that are “closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance.”
Responses to additional questions suggest that people’s preference for homes with greater elbow room is due to an increasing number of families adapting to lifestyle changes imposed by pandemic-related restrictions. This includes more employees working from home, parents managing online schooling for their children, and more family dinners prepared from the kitchen.
While pandemic life has undoubtedly impacted home buyer preferences, data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests that America’s appetite for larger homes had been growing for decades. The average size of newly constructed, single-family homes has steadily increased from around 1,700 square feet in the mid-1970s to around 2,500 square feet today. This increase in house size corresponds with an increase in the average number of rooms per house, which also increased markedly during this period. Indeed, the percentage of newly constructed, single-family homes with at least four bedrooms climbed from 23% to 44% over the same time period.
The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau and Zillow. To identify the U.S. cities with the largest homes, researchers at HireAHelper calculated the percentage of existing homes with four or more bedrooms. Researchers also included the percentage of homes with five or more bedrooms as well as the median home price. To improve relevance, only cities with at least 100,000 residents were included.
Here is a summary of the data for Centennial, CO:
- Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 54.2%
- Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 16.8%
- Median home price: $635,721
- Median household income: $111,257
- For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:
- Share of homes with 4+ bedrooms: 21.6%
- Share of homes with 5+ bedrooms: 4.6%
- Median home price: $316,368
- Median household income: $65,712
For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on HireAHelper’s website: https://www.hireahelper.com/lifestyle/us-cities-with-the-largest-houses/
I asked my realtor friend of Kentwood, Edie Marks, to lend us her response to this report.
She said, “In real estate circles, a four bedroom home has long been the most desirable home to buy and sell. Even with families with only two children, that fourth bedroom has served as a second study, a play room or a guest room. In today’s climate it often serves as the classroom.”