Demographics and Consumer Insights

Here you will find all of our articles with topics that cover demographics and consumer insights.

Effective Marketing by Life Stage

by John Burns Real Estate Consulting October 26, 2018

23,000+ new home shoppers told us how to market more effectively to them. Properly allocating marketing efforts can easily make the difference between selling 3 or 4 homes per month. We learned that: Local advertising and geofencing are more effective …

Effective Land Planning by Life Stage

by John Burns Real Estate Consulting October 23, 2018

Are you sick and tired of making multi-million dollar educated guesses about what amenities will be most popular in your master-planned community? Here are some findings from our large consumer survey that will help you build and locate the right …

The 4 Big Demographic Influencers

by John Burns & Dean Wehrli July 19, 2018

  In episode 5 of our podcast, consulting leader Dean Wehrli interviews John Burns regarding the 4-5-6 rule for demographic-based decision making, which is covered in chapter 3 of the book Big Shifts Ahead. Click here to subscribe to future …

Surban: The Next Big Change to the American Landscape

by Jenni Nichols & Mikaela Arroyo July 12, 2018

The residential construction industry is shifting away from the suburban template that exploded in popularity in the 1950s to a new template we call surban™. In the analysis below, we will show you some thriving new home development examples and …

The Millennial Perception of Homeownership

by Dean Wehrli June 15, 2018

  Consulting leader Dean Wehrli volunteered to host our new podcast. You never know what to expect from Dean. Click here to subscribe to future episodes. For episode 3 of our New Home Insights Podcast, Dean talks with three millennials …

Retirees Want More Dogs and Gardens, Less Golf and Pickle Ball

by John Burns May 15, 2018

Retiree amenity preferences shift over time. In our book Big Shifts Ahead, Chris Porter and I broke the generations into decade born because the traditional definitions involved far too many years. By doing so, we have been able to identify shifting …

A 5-Year Delay in Homeownership, Other Big Shifts

by Chris Porter May 14, 2018

Generational definitions of millennial tend to be too broad. As our company’s housing demographer, I am responsible for bringing clarity on these categories to our clients. Here are two great charts and five interesting conclusions on household formation and homeownership …

What the Shrinking Middle Class Means for Housing

by Mikaela Arroyo & Chris Porter & John Burns May 3, 2018

The widening gap in income distribution trends in the US has significant implications for home buying activity and homeownership. The shrinking size of the American middle class (those who make between two-thirds and double the median US household income*) has …

Give Us Music, Fresh Food, Wine, and Cornhole

by John Burns Real Estate Consulting May 1, 2018

Boomer masterplan developers still don’t understand us millennials. Their marketing tries to entice us with their version of cool: the flashiest new gadget, the most up to date home technology, or a community social connection. Our research (and my own …

Challenges Mount for First-Time Buyers

by April 20, 2018

One of our first-time home buyer team members just lost out on a home purchase, as only the top 5 bids (out of 20!) were given the opportunity to increase their offer! Homeownership costs continue to grow faster than incomes, …