Page 37 - Green Builder July-August 2017 Issue

hom building or knowledge about environmental issues is a critical
factor in determining how they prioritize features, according to DDA. INFLUENTIAL CRITERIA
“Builders expect older buyers (age 55-plus) to generally prioritize most
aspects of green homebuilding directly related to performance more
than younger buyers,” the report notes. “The older the homebuyer,
the more likely they are to have experienced good and bad features
in previous homes and to be more cognizant of ways to address the
issues they find.”
There are exceptions. One young interviewee (under age 35) with
family members in the construction industry knew to consider
items such as the R-value of the roof and insulation. By comparison,
another first-time homebuyer associated energy performance with
merely having efficient appliances, according to DDA.
There is no clear-cut winner when it comes to healthier homes.
There was no consensus in terms of the valuation of a healthier
home, but a few interesting trends emerged, according to the study:
■ Those buyers with children or with family members with health
■
concerns place greater emphasis in general on healthier home
features.
■ A few interviewees voiced concerns about how they could know
■
for certain whether a home was healthier or not.
■ Those who did not express concerns about verifying a home’s
■
health impacts generally reported that they would pay more for a
home certified to be healthier.
■ A few were confused about the attempt to distinguish between
■
green and healthier homes, operating on the assumption that green
homes are also healthier by definition.

Generational Green

Buying Criteria

OR THE SURVEY, homebuilders were asked the generational
F to 35 (millennial), 36 to 54 (Generation X), and 55 and older
makeup of their clients, splitting them into age groups of 18
(baby boomer).
When it comes to homebuying, the three most influential
green criteria—energy efficiency, health impacts and durability—are
influential to a much lower percentage of homebuilders’ clients age
35 and under than they are for other groups, especially those 55 and
older. DDA cites several possible reasons: SOURCE: DODGE DATA & ANALYTICS
■ Homebuyers under age 35, many of whom may be first-time
■
homebuyers, could be strictly limited in terms of their options by
budget. This could crowd out factors that they would like to prioritize.
■ Greater experience with homeownership in general may make
■ Health isn’t everything (yet). The things homebuyers consider
these green criteria more important to buyers age 55 and older. important when shopping for a home varies by age group. But a
■ There is evidence that millennials feel strongly about a green healthy living environment ranks high with all.
■
lifestyle, but are also “more aware of and engaged by a general goal the youngest generation of buyers than those builders who believe
of doing good for the planet than for the immediate, tangible impacts that they influence buyers who are 55 and older. This supports the
of green building on their lives,” the study notes. The ratings for notion that younger buyers are more influenced by the broader
efficient use of natural resources, lower impact development and impacts of their behavior on the world at large, while older buyers are
reduced carbon footprint may also support the difference in how more focused on the specific financial and physical performance of
millennials view green. their homes. “This is an important distinction to keep in mind when
While the rankings are relatively low across the board, more attempting to market green or healthier homes to these audiences,”
builders believe that these general impacts are highly influential for the report notes.

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