I recently read a very cool article about what type of amenities homebuyers are looking for in a community. What fascinated me is that they broke the study down by age group. I thought it might be fun to share the findings with you – so you can see where you stack up against the respondents.

All three groups chose the same amenities in their top two: grocery stores nearby and restaurants nearby.

Baby Boomer Real Estate

Boomers, born from 1946 to 1964, used to be known as our largest generation – then the Millennials came along and grabbed the title away.

Boomers want a community with walking trails and a fitness center in close proximity to their new homes. Although they’re moving into “senior citizen” stage, these folks aren’t slowing down, so these preferences make sense.

Something that I found really interesting, though, is that they place a higher priority on “Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Areas” than the two younger generations. Since this generation didn’t grow up with Internet it’s easy to assume they’re tech-averse, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Remember, Wozniak and Jobs, both Baby Boomers, invented the Apple II.

Generation X

There really is no agreement on when Gen Xers were born, but many marketers use 1965 to 1979 so we’ll go with that.

Their third ranked amenity preference is the same as their parents’: walking trails. Surprisingly, the want these trails nearby more than they want retail shopping close by. Fourth on their list also matched their parents’ preference, a fitness center in close proximity to their new home.

Number five on the list is where Gen Xers diverge from Boomers. While their parents prefer a town square, this generation wants a recreational center. I suppose, since their kids are most likely moving into their teenage years, this makes sense. Youth sports leagues and after-school activities probably appeal to them as parents.

While Boomers list wi-fi connectivity in public areas as their number seven amenity, Gen Xers place retail shopping as a preference.

Millennials

Also known as Gen Y, Millennials are the youngest group of homebuyers. Born between 1980 to 2000 (again, there is wide disagreement over these years), if they have children, they’re young, and the amenities they prefer reflect that.

For instance, while Boomers list a town square as their number five preference and Gen Xers want a recreational center, Millennials prefer a children’s park.

Although this generation has been playing around on computers practically from birth, their preference for “Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Areas” is eighth on the list and “Community High-Speed Internet” didn’t even make the top 10.

The most fascinating aspect of this study, to me anyway, is that entertainment, such as music, art or movies in the park ranked lowest for all demographics. Yet, in the Twin Cities area at least, these events bring people out in droves.

Maybe we’re just weird? 😉