ORANGE COUNTY, CA-If you're involved in single-family residential design or construction in any form, it would be wise to gear your efforts toward the Millennial demographic group. According to the Building Industry Association of California, Orange County Chapter, this cohort will be leading home buying in the next cycle.
BIAC defines Millennials as the generation born roughly between 1980 and 2000. They don't want the same features as the previous generation, and industry sources liken them to the post-World War II generation that came of age during a national crisis and helped to rebuild it and its institutions.
In a prepared statement, BIAC said that Morley Winograd, co-author of “Millennial Momentum: How a New Generation is Remaking America,” stated in a recent article for newgeography.com, “If home builders and sellers can tailor their offerings to these technologically sophisticated, family-oriented potential buyers, Millennials could well play an important role in reinvigorating the nation's housing market, further spurring the nation's recovery from the Great Recession.”
According to the statement, Millennials want homes that are relatively inexpensive to maintain, make the most of their space and have the latest high-tech amenities and other features that will enable their social gatherings as well as their social-media connections while conserving energy—electricity, water and gas, to be precise. Their focus will be on “home office instead of dining room and home theater instead of living room.” Color on the walls and non-carpeted floor are also preferred by this demographic group.
For Millennials who prefer apartment living, developers are creating multifamily complexes that cater to their tastes and lifestyle. For example, as GlobeSt.com reported in January, Frost/Chaddock Developers began construction on 3425 Motor Ave. in the Palms neighborhood of West Los Angeles, CA. The project, designed by Killefer Flammang Architects, is a 115-unit, five-story, $30-million contemporary structure of apartments designed for young professionals.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Carrie Rossenfeld
Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.
