Minnesota PHCC Contractor May/June 2018

INDUSTRY NEWS
MILLENNIALS LEADING THE GROWTH OF NEW HOME BUYERS
As the housing industry celebrates New Homes Month in
April, recent data from the Census Bureau confirms that
millennials are increasingly entering the housing market as
first-time buyers.
The homeownership rate of millennials – now at 36 percent –
registered the largest gains among all age groups in 2017. As
the nation’s largest demographic group, more than 70 million
millennials are poised to dominate the home buying market in
the months and years ahead.
the Great Recession, the share of new townhome construction
has been rising since 2009. According to NAHB analysis of
census data, townhome construction in 2017 was up 7 percent
from 2016.
Millennials also are looking for homes with three bedrooms
and two bathrooms, outdoor space, flexible areas that can be
used for a variety of purposes and more luxurious finishes,
such as quartz countertops.
“Millennials are recognizing the benefits of homeownership
and are eager to buy their first homes,” said National
Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Randy
Noel, a custom home builder from LaPlace, Louisiana. “And
contrary to conventional wisdom, this generation is in the
market for single-family homes in the suburbs as they look
ahead to raising their families.”
Home builders recognize the changing demographics and
the increasing demand for entry-level homes. Yet rising
construction costs and limited lot availability create significant
challenges to building smaller, single-family detached homes
that are both affordable to first-time buyers and cost-effective
for builders.
With millennials willing to compromise on space, townhouses
are offering a more affordable option for younger buyers ready
to purchase their first homes. After experiencing a drop during
PAY TO USE A PUBLIC TOILET? MANY AMERICANS SAY THEY WOULD
While pay toilets aren’t common in the United States, 56
percent of Americans say they’d consider paying as long as
they were guaranteed a clean, well-stocked public restroom.
Of those surveyed, 45 percent would pay 25 cents, 29 percent
would pay 50 cents and 6 percent would pay more than $1.
The findings are from a restroom and hand-washing survey
conducted annually by Bradley Corporation, a leading
manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures and washroom
accessories.
The survey found that 70 percent of Americans had a
particularly unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to
the condition of the facilities. The biggest irritants are clogged
or unflushed toilets, toilet paper dispensers that are jammed
or empty, and partition doors that don’t latch.
When asked what improvements they’d like to see, the top
requests were to keep restrooms cleaner and ensure they’re
adequately stocked with toilet paper, paper towels and soap.
The survey also revealed that 47 percent of Americans didn’t
know that in some countries pay toilets are a common practice.
Actually, until 40 years ago, pay toilets were found throughout
the United States.
According to the Wall Street Journal, in 1974 there were more
than 50,000 pay toilets. That changed due to the efforts of the
Committee to End Pay Toilets in America. In just six years,
the small group convinced a dozen states to ban pay toilets
and by 1980 they were almost entirely gone from the American
landscape.
For the past nine years, Bradley Corp. has conducted its
annual Healthy Hand-Washing Survey. This year, the survey
queried 1,035 American adults online Jan. 2-5 about their
public restroom experiences, hand-washing habits in public
restrooms and concerns about germs, colds and the flu.
Participants were from around the country, 18 years and older
and fairly evenly split between men and women (49 and 51
percent).
www.mnphcc.org | MN PHCC | May - June 2018
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