Honey, I shrunk the house!

At a time when our homes are our everything—from our office to our gym—one thing is for certain: space is a hot commodity. We partnered with OnePoll to ask 5,000 Americans nationwide how their moving and storage behaviors have changed since the pandemic—and what are their priorities today?

What we found was a new-found love of hobbies with lots of gear, a clear need for space-saving solutions, and a desire to declutter or move on. Here, some of the top findings from the report.

No Wasted Space

The average person attempts to declutter their home four times a year. Almost half of the respondents (49%) noted that they feel there has been less available space in their home since the pandemic began. And yet, despite limited space, only 24% say they would consider moving somewhere with more room

More Hobbies, Less Room

Nearly one-in-four (38%) revealed that they or their partner took up a new hobby that requires more room. When asked what type of hobby items take up the most space, tech-related hobbies such as video games and computers (51%), musical instruments and accessories (45%) and collectibles like art and action figures (45%) were the most popular.

But not all space is dedicated to traditional hobbies. Half of respondents say they became a pet and/or human parent since the pandemic began, leading to more space taken up by toys, animal beds, feeding equipment, and more.

Switching to remote work further complicated matters for nearly two-thirds of respondents, who’ve had to rearrange or add new things to their home to accommodate a work space.

The New Storage Room

With an average of 11 storage boxes in their home, people are turning to storage alternatives. In fact, 32% have transformed their bedroom into a storage room, signaling an increased need for space-saving solutions in one of the home’s primary rooms.

That may be why most (23%) wish they could increase the size of their bedroom, more so than any other room in the home. Adding in smart storage solutions in closets, and creating storage ‘zones’ can help alleviate some of the clutter.

Resizing Proves Tricky for Couples

Resizing to accommodate more space can be tricky, though, especially for those who aren’t alone — half of coupled Americans differ with their partner on what they’d want in a new home if they moved. The most common arguments when discussing a potential move are the new home’s exterior or interior design (42%), what neighborhood to move to (40%) and how much to spend on their new residence (39%).

The top non-negotiables for a new home? It has to be in a great neighborhood (41%), easy to maintain (41%) and needs an outdoor space (39%). If you’re one of the 55% who are searching for a dream home this year, download the Opendoor app to find a home with the tap of a button.

Beatrice de Jong is the Consumer Trends Expert at Opendoor.

Methodology

This random double-opt-in survey of 5,000 Americans (100 per state) was commissioned by Opendoor between January 21 and January 31, 2022. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

Further reading