SANTA CLARA, Calif., May
27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no surprise that people
will go to extremes to make their pets comfortable, and buying a
home -- often the largest financial decision most people ever make
-- is no exception. A recent survey by
realtor.com® found that more than two-thirds of
pet-owning home buyers would forgo their perfect home if it wasn't
right for their furry friend.
"At realtor.com®, we believe that a home is so much
more than a roof and four walls. It is where family and friends
come together and memories are made. The results of this survey
reinforce that our pets are our family and an important part of
what makes a house a home," said Nate
Johnson, chief marketing officer of
realtor.com®.
The results are based on an online survey conducted in March of
more than 2,000 people who planned to purchase a home in the next
12 months and are fairly consistent with a similar
survey realtor.com conducted in August
2018.
Most home shoppers are pet owners and they are shopping with
their pet in mind
Of those surveyed, 82 percent of the respondents identified
themselves as pet owners. Dogs were the most common pet (61
percent), followed by cats (45 percent), fish (12 percent), and
birds (9 percent).
Of those home buyers who own a pet, nearly 95 percent indicated
that the needs of their faithful companions would be at least a
somewhat important consideration during their home search.
Approximately 84 percent ranked their animals' needs "extremely
important" or "very important" in their home-search (55 and 29
percent, respectively). Less than 5 percent said their needs were
unimportant.
The needs of their pets factored into the home purchase
decisions of pet owners of all ages with 96 percent of 18- to
34-year-olds, 97 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds and 87 percent of
55+ buyers indicating that their animal would be at least a
"somewhat important" factor during their home search.
Although one might think that dogs and cats might influence a
home buyer's decision more than non traditional pets, that's not
the case. While 87 percent of dog and cat owners said their pets'
needs were extremely important or very important during their home
search, 89 percent of bird owners, 85 percent of fish owners, 80
percent of reptile owners, 79 percent of rodent owners and 74
percent of horse owners, indicated their pet would factor into
their decision.
If it's not right for their pet, it's not the right
home
Pets' needs play such an important role in buying a home, more
than two-thirds (68 percent) of home buyers said they would "forgo
an otherwise perfect home" if it did not meet their pets' needs.
Those aged 35 to 54 were most likely to pass on a home if it wasn't
right for the pet (72 percent), compared with 66 percent of buyers
between the ages of 18 to 34 years old and 51 percent of those
55+.
Although people with children (71 percent) felt more strongly
that the home needed to accommodate their pet than people without
children (59 percent), pet owners across the board – including
fish, rodent and reptile owners – said they would pass up an
otherwise perfect home if it didn't meet their pets' needs.
A yard and outdoor space rank high for pet owners
Home buyers were asked to rank the three home features they
considered to be the most important for the needs of their pets.
The top five features were: A large yard (38 percent), any outdoor
space (29 percent), a garage (24 percent), a dog run (22 percent),
close proximity to outdoor spaces (21 percent) and large square
footage (20 percent).
About realtor.com®
Realtor.com®
makes buying, selling and living in homes easier and more rewarding
for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of
digital real estate 20 years ago, and today through its website and
mobile apps is a trusted source for the information, tools and
professional expertise that help people move confidently through
every step of their home journey. Using proprietary data science
and machine learning
technology, realtor.com® pairs buyers and
sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the
guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For
professionals, realtor.com® is a trusted
provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help
them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is
operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV]
subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National
Association of REALTORS®. For more information,
visit realtor.com®.
Media contact: Janice McDill,
janice.mcdill@move.com, 312.307.3134
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SOURCE realtor.com