Three-quarters of home buyers would choose pets’ needs over dream home
And what features are home buyers looking for to keep Fido and Fluffy happy? Room to roam tops the list.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — New survey data from Realtor.com suggests that pet owners will do almost anything for their furry friends — including forgoing their dream home.
Specifically, 75 percent of pet-owning home buyers said they would pass on an otherwise-perfect home if it weren’t right for their animals.
‘‘It’s heartwarming to find that people will put their pets’ needs first, even when it comes to one of the biggest financial decisions they will ever make,’’ said Nate Johnson, chief marketing officer for the website.. ‘‘This survey shows that we really do consider pets part of the family — and that their needs are a critical part of finding the perfect home.’’
In July, Harris Research conducted the online survey of more than 1,000 people who closed on a home in 2018.
Majority of home buyers have pets
Among the home buyers surveyed, 80 percent reported owning pets. Dogs were the most common pet (64 percent), followed by cats (41 percent), birds (12 percent), and fish (11 percent).
Younger buyers were more likely to be pet owners, with 89 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds having them, compared with 63 percent of buyers 55 and older. People with children also were more likely to own pets (91 percent, compared with 57 percent of those without children).
Pets are major factors in home-search process
Eighty-seven percent of the pet owners surveyed said they took their beloved critters’ needs into account when they were looking for a home. Nearly 90 percent of pet-owning buyers said their animals’ needs were important or very important in their home-search proces. Only 7 percent said their pets’ needs were not a factor.
An overwhelming majority of younger pet-owning buyers and buyers with children said their pets’ needs were an important part of the home-search process (91 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds and 90 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds), compared with 64 percent of 55-plus buyers. Similarly, 89 percent of people with children said their pets’ needs were important, compared with 72 percent of those without children.
It’s not just dogs and cats that influence home-purchasing decisions: A significant majority of dog owners (90 percent) and cat owners (87 percent) said their pets’ needs were important or very important during their home search, compared with 87 percent of fish owners, 89 percent for bird, 91 percent for horse, 92 percent for rodent, and 98 percent for reptile owners.
Buyers would pass on dream home if it isn’t right for pets
Of the pet owners surveyed, 75 percent said they would reject an otherwise-perfect home if it did not meet their pets’ needs. Younger buyers were more likely to say that: 79 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds and 77 percent for 35- to 54-year-olds, compared with 64 percent of buyers 55 and older.
Most important features for pet owners
When buyers were asked the rank the three features they consider most important for their pets, room to roam topped the list: a large yard (45 percent), any outdoor space (36 percent), a garage (33 percent), large square footage (29 percent), a dog run (26 percent), sturdy flooring (26 percent), and close proximity to outdoor spaces (25 percent).
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