It is not surprising a study of homeowners of all ages indicated older homeowners have more experience with home repairs. What is surprising, however, is the high degree of confidence younger homeowners have in their ability to perform these repairs. According to Porch.com’s recent “Do You DIY” survey, which asked more than 1,000 respondents in each generation from Baby Boomers to Millennials whether they are handy and who handles their home repairs, Millennials homeowners not only spend an average of $26,000 annually on home upgrades, but a large portion of that budget goes to DIY projects. However, concluded analysts, although “Millennials think they’re adept at a variety of home-improvement tasks, inexperience and knowledge the numbers show differently.”
More than two-thirds of Millennials stated that they are “handy” when asked, while 61.4 percent of Baby Boomers claimed the same and 61.6 percent of Generation X. Furthermore, more than half of Millennials (55.2 percent) said that when something breaks in their home, they fix it, although the breakdown of repair tasks was particularly telling. 86 percent of Millennial homeowners have installed a wireless router, while 63 percent had patched holes in a wall.
“Millennials think they’re adept at a variety of home-improvement tasks, inexperience and knowledge the numbers show differently.”
Porch.com speculated the confidence of younger homeowners might stem from Pinterest of HGTV’s reality real estate television, but it seems likely that younger homeowners might have more confidence in their ability to repair things around the house thanks to a plethora of instructional videos and educational content available online. According to Venveo’s Zach Williams, DIY consumers of online content are not predominantly driven by the desire to save money (about 39 percent of DIYers cite this as their main motivation according to Williams), but instead are motivated by the pleasure of handling a project themselves (47 percent).
“This is why we’ve seen such a rise in demand for media outlets like HGTV, the DIY Network, and even aspects of Martha Stewart’s brand,” Williams wrote. “People want to have a positive home improvement experience, which means they are willing to pay more for products that will help make this happen.”
However, while homebuyers across the board may view themselves as capable of doing a wide variety of home-improvement tasks and repairs, this does not necessarily mean a home buyer will choose to purchase a home that necessitates this type of handiness. According to a recent report by The Washington Post, “spec” houses, homes that are built without a contract to buy in place, and homes that are move-in ready, are back in demand in many housing markets. Buyers often may not have the time or inclination to undertake big projects immediately after purchasing a home, regardless of their age.
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