Boom Town? I Told You So! Really!

I think it was sometime late summer last year that I wrote about the impending housing boom in America.

One of the prospects we were pitching called me and told me he read it. He then went on to say that I was “way too out there” and not a good match with what he was seeking to get positive sales. Went on to say I obviously did not understand the economy.

Okay.

I went and looked up his website. They have since gone out of business.

There was a story on NBC Nightly News this past weekend about a surge that is taking place in housing currently priced in the $100,000 to $150,000 range. Last night, a local version of that story aired on Channel 11 News.

In one of my “way too out there” states of mind last year, I citied an impending rise of the Millennial Generation and the soon-to-take place wave of their moving from the apartments to their first homes in one of the blogs.

You know the Millennial Generation…that group just shy in size of the Baby Boomers who birthed them into the world about 20-30 years ago?

The NBC story told about the demand going up so much that in a number of markets like Atlanta (the city posting the second highest concentration of Millennials in the US) there were actual bidding wars going on to see just who would ultimately live in the new digs.

The buyers are interesting to say the least…
• The Twenty-Somethings dominate the demo mix
• Green is not a color…it’s a way they live
• The worst financial background they have may concern a credit card
• They are first time home buyers
• “Family Rooms” and “Dining Rooms” are historic terms of the past
• They use their iPods more than they use real estate agents
• If they use an agent, many ended up playing a dual role of both parent and therapist
• New is not necessarily better and 60’s and 70’s tract homes are seen as chic
• They get more out of watching HGTV than reading shelter pubs

Are the homebuilders, real estate and home furnishing markets prepared for the surge? I think IKEA might be, but it’s more by pure chance than a planned out approach.

And this surge in low priced housing is only the beginning of what is going to hit.

If you want to get a taste of this… tune into HGTV weeknights from 8p-9p and watch Property Virgins and My First Place. And then if you really miss Jay Leno, tune back in to HGTV and grab For Rent that airs nightly at 11:30pm,

Oh…and by the way… Property Virgins runs a double schedule from Midnight to 1am and I heard through the grapevine that many of those 20-somethings are converting over to HGTV from Adult Swim.

If you are looking for the safe set, BrandVenture is not the perspective you need.

If you want to jump ahead and recharge your brand and be there when the opportunity hits…Hey…come and let’s journey!