In recent years, connection to community has felt out of reach for various reasons – and the lack of it has reached a new level of urgency. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General released a report on America’s “loneliness epidemic” which revealed that approximately 1 in 2 adults in America experience loneliness caused by social disconnection.

Despite this post-pandemic effect, the excitement and joy of home ownership continues to drive consumers – because buying a home means connecting with a community. With our dedication to helping homebuyers find the joy in homeownership, we’re sharing the results of our eye-opening research on the state of mind of today’s homebuyers and what is impacting their purchase decisions, including the ways they seek and prioritize community and connection in the process.

We at Century 21 Real Estate are excited to work alongside agents affiliated with the brand and their clients to realize their desires for community and connection.

Overall, many homebuyers are feeling mostly positive. There are some small, but interesting, differences between the positive emotions felt by different generations of recent homebuyers.

Recent Gen Z homebuyers, in particular, reported slightly higher rates of joy and gratitude and a lower rate of hope versus all recent homebuyers.

Recent Millennial homebuyers reported the highest levels of happiness and hope. However, rates of anxiety (24%) and uncertainty (20%) are affecting all recent homebuyers, with slightly lower rates for younger generations. This gives agents a role in supporting positive experiences for homebuyers by providing guidance to address concerns and ease uncertainties.

While space and lifestyle considerations prompt many people to move, so does being close to their existing community of friends and family. What’s more, lifestyle and community considerations are even greater than the percentage moving for economic reasons for homebuyers overall.

Interestingly, men skew higher for a desire to be closer to friends and family than women.

88% of recent/intending homebuyers are willing to compromise on elements of their dream home to be in a community that is “perfect” for their household – especially for those with kids in the home.

Today’s homebuyers, particularly Millennials, are not just choosing communities they will enjoy living in — but communities where their families can thrive and where they can make a difference.

Recent/intending homebuyers are openminded and inclusive. 90% do not consider political affiliation to be a barrier to building community with those around them, and 92% want to be in a community that embraces diversity.

Though the overall trend across generations is to come together with neighbors despite differences (90%), Gen Z (85%) has more in common with older generations, with their level of agreement to the statement “I want to build community with my neighbors regardless of their political beliefs” than Millennials (94% agreement).

Today’s homebuyers want agents who not only can help them with the buying process but also know the ins and outs of communities deeply enough to predict where they’re headed in the future.

Also, the fact that 65% of intending homebuyers rate “getting involved in local community after they move” as “very important” (versus 53% of recent

homebuyers) may signal that recent homebuyers can face challenges when it comes to new community involvement. This presents a prime opportunity for agents to help recent clients get to know their community better after moving in. It also highlights the importance of agents being active in the communities they serve, which is something we’re proud to see with CENTURY 21 independent agents and brokers.

An agent’s connection to the community is particularly important to Gen Z. Keeping in line with all recent/intending homebuyers at 92%, 9 in 10 Gen Z respondents feel it’s important for a real estate agent to have a connection to their local community. And at 45%, they are more likely than total respondents (38%) to report finding their agent through a local community connection.

“I participate in various community events throughout the city, and also serve on various non-profits in Tennessee. I try [to] get involved and network in various groups serving our community.”

EVA ANGELINA ROMERO
Broker/Owner
CENTURY 21 Capital Properties
Nashville, TN

“I run a Facebook group with over 10,000 people in it. I am very involved in my church and am joining the board for our local library.”

CHRISTINE S. FARLEY
Associate Broker
CENTURY 21 Topsail Realty
Portsmouth, RI

Hispanic and other underrepresented homebuyers can often face various obstacles in their path toward homeownership. Despite that, Hispanic homebuyers are a major force in the housing market1: studies suggest that by 2040, 70% of net new homeowners will be Hispanic.

With our dedication to helping homebuyers find joy in homeownership, we’re sharing the results of our research on the state of mind of today’s recent and intending homebuyers and what impacts their purchase decisions. We explore the differences in community aspirations of Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers versus the overall population, the wider homebuying population, and across generations and family composition.

As the first choice that Hispanic consumers would consider the next time they buy or sell real estate², the CENTURY 21^® brand is excited to work alongside the agents affiliated with the brand and their clients to advance Hispanic homeownership in the U.S.

For Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers, a new home is a point of joy and pride as it signifies the ability to nurture their/their family’s future within a community.

Compared to all other recent homebuyers, Hispanic recent homebuyers report slightly higher levels of pride during the homebuying process.

This is particularly true for younger Hispanic recent/intending buyers, who report higher levels of both pride and joy.

After moving, 70% of recent Hispanic homebuyers feel a stronger sense of community connection after purchasing their home, versus 65% of all recent/intending homebuyers.

89% of Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers believe that home is not just your house, but the community you live in. For this group, community looks like a mutually supportive arrangement, where they can make a positive impact and receive help in return.

When asked about the different attributes they look for in a potential community, Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers are slightly more likely to prioritize feeling support, connection, acceptance and hope for the future versus the general population.

Recent/intending Hispanic Millennial homebuyers report slightly higher levels of agreement (versus other Hispanic generations) that it’s important to make an impact on their communities and on the desire to live where their families can thrive.

For the Hispanic recent/intending
homebuyer, quality of life and economic
considerations are bigger priorities than being close to family.

Hispanic homebuyers over-index on moving for a better cost of living (+9), and under-index on moving to be closer to family (-11) — potentially indicating that they’re prioritizing the family they are creating versus their family of origin.

Hispanic homebuyers believe the community they live in plays a key role in achieving the American Dream for themselves and their families.

They are slightly more likely than general homebuyers to prioritize a dream community over a dream house.

Being involved in the community is a key part of participating in the American Dream for Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers.

95% of Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers say it will be important to get involved in their new community, and those with children in the home are slightly more likely to plan to get involved than those without.

The American Dream of community takes on even more significance when considering the ways Hispanic recent/intending homebuyers plan on getting involved. Almost a third (32%) say they are or will get involved in local politics, the highest incidence among all respondents. They overindex +6 versus all recent/intending buyers.

This group is slightly more likely to want to get involved by attending local events and to report the desire to get involved in school committees.

Recent Hispanic homebuyers over-indexed on guidance from their agent (35%) versus other homebuyers (30%) when it comes to getting to know the local community. They also are slightly more likely to look for an agent’s ability to give tips on funding opportunities or grants.

The CENTURY 21 brand boasts a strong presence in the top 5 states with positive Hispanic net migration according to the 2023 NAHREP State of Hispanic Homeownership Report. That in addition to nearly 10% of the CENTURY 21 network speaking Spanish, positions the brand as an unparalleled resource for Hispanic homebuyers.

We look forward to helping this community of individuals grow by better serving their unique needs.