More than any other generation, 73 percent of Millennials own a pet, and 89 percent of homebuying Millennials in 2018 have a "fur baby."
According to a recent survey by Realtor.com, the needs of their pets factor in big for Millennial homebuyers. Pet-owning Millennial buyers said they would pass on their dream home if it didn't gel with their pets' needs, to the tune of 79 percent, CNBC reports. Once they own their home, Millennial pet-parents are willing to shell out on remodeling projects to accommodate their fur children. D.C. resident Jessica Evans bought a single-family row house in part because she viewed it as best for her pets, and spent $12,000 on a pet door, a basement bathroom for her dog, Lucy, and had a higher fence installed to keep her dog and cat from leaving, and to protect them from neighborhood animals.
Luxury landlords have been catering to this millennial trend for years, putting in dog runs on rental tower roofs and pet salons off lobbies. Now more millennials are buying homes, and seeking the same amenities. Thirty-one-year-old Jessica Evans lives in a single-family row house in Washington, D.C., with Lucy, a dog, and Casper, a cat. She calls them her "fur children."