| When asked to rank the new home information on the Web that is most useful, Strivers put house plans and photographs atop the list. |
When people in the 24-36 age group decide to buy a new home, the Internet is playing a bigger role, new research by Professional Builder shows.
But the overall picture that emerges of Internet use by young house hunters is mixed. One telling statistic: It still comes in third, at 39.8%, behind two time-tested methods of house hunting — driving through neighborhoods, 49.7%, and hiring a real estate agent, 58.9%.
Of 1,200 Generation X or “Striver” home shoppers surveyed by PB, only 29.8% said they had visited or planned to visit builder Web sites to pick a builder. At the same time, 56.6% said they had used or would use the Web “to look at different model homes.” Among that group, 27.2% indicated daily model comparison, and 41.2% weekly.
When asked to rate the Internet as a way to determine which homes and communities to visit, 45% said it was “very influential,” while only 22.8% said it was “not at all influential.”
PB Topical Ref
