Housing Has Gone to the Kids

Kids influence all sorts of things from bedroom furniture and decoration to automobile designs. So it's no surprise that they are now influencing home builders. Developers looking to lure families are designing houses and neighborhoods that excite both the kids and the parents. Inside the house, more space is being dedicated to kids. Two-story family rooms are being phased out in favor of a second entertainment room upstairs, above the family room, for the kids. Children's bedrooms are becoming larger and larger. Garages are expanding to include more room for bikes and sports equipment. Formal living rooms and dining rooms are being eliminated to give more space to family rooms and kitchens, where many kids do their homework. When it comes to designing neighborhoods, many developers are including bike trails and parks. Some are even beginning to feature pools and water park features. When laying out neighborhoods, designers are beginning to get away from the traditional grid pattern in order to eliminate long, straight streets. They hope this will keep traffic slower and kids safer.

WonderGroup's Perspective
Developers' efforts to focus on kids are going to pay off. The purchase of a house is a highly emotional experience and, of course, parents want the whole family to be excited and like the new home. Because of this, kids are very influential in the buying process. When house hunting, not only do parents look for things that they think their kids will like and need, but kids go along to scout things out for themselves. The power of choice is a huge motivator with kids. They get excited driving through the neighborhood. They love walking through models, picking out their potential rooms and carpet colors and imagining what all of it will look like. This excitement adds to the significant excitement parents already feel themselves. Anything builders can do to generate excitement and help families make an emotional connection with a house will go a long way to help cement sales.