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Boomers Drive Hot New Housing Trend

Are multiple master suites here to stay?

by Beth Brophy, AARP, March 27, 2017

Boomers Drive Hot New Housing Trend

Stocksy

1 in 3 house hunters were looking for the dual master-bedroom option.

The latest trend for the top 10 percent of the nation’s real estate market is a growing number of listings for luxury homes with multiple master-bedroom suites, reports the Wall Street Journal.

These homes are priced 9 percent higher than the average, and homebuilders are paying attention.

According to the WSJ, about 1 in 3 house hunters in the $2-million-and-up price range were looking for the dual master-bedroom option, according to a 2016 survey that examined data from builders and 25,000 house hunters across the country.

“This was the first survey where we asked about a dual master. Prior to this year, it wasn’t on the radar at all,” Pete Reeb, a principal with John Burns Real Estate Consulting, told the WSJ.

The reasons may relate to broader demographics, as boomers reach their 60s and 70s. Many need the extra bedroom for multigenerational living, such as space for their elderly parents or boomerang kids. And some empty nesters want a nice suite for houseguests.

And then there are the couples that want a room of their own due to their partner’s snoring, insomnia or clashing schedule. “There has been a stigma about sleeping apart,” clinical psychologist Wendy Troxel told the WSJ. “But perhaps we are moving toward this acceptance that there is not one size fits all.”