The New Home Trends Summit brings together the industry’s most forward-thinking leaders to challenge conventional wisdom and explore what’s next in community development. This year’s Charleston event didn’t disappoint, delivering insights that are already reshaping how smart developers and home builders approach everything from product design to marketing strategy.
Milesbrand’s Genevieve Benson, Director of Strategic Partnerships, and Dave Miles, President and Brand Strategist, attended this year’s summit to stay ahead of the trends impacting our clients. What they discovered confirms some of our strategic hunches while revealing new opportunities that forward-thinking home builders and community developers can leverage right now.
Here are the seven most important insights from the summit that every home builder and developer needs to understand:
Consumer sentiment hasn’t been this low since the last recession, creating a recessionary mindset that influences every buying decision. Adding to this challenge, Kantar’s research shows the World Uncertainty Index has spiked dramatically, with younger generations knowing only volatility throughout their adult lives.
Your prospects aren’t just price sensitive. Today’s buyers are fundamentally cautious about major purchases. This isn’t temporary market hesitation; it’s a generational shift in how people approach homebuying decisions.
Developers who acknowledge this reality and address it directly in their messaging and sales process will connect more authentically with today’s buyers. Messaging that emphasizes trust, quality and transparency will likely resonate more than ever. Companies that offer reassurance through reliability and guarantees may gain significant competitive advantage. This means being transparent about market conditions, offering flexible purchase options and focusing on the stability homeownership provides.
A brand that communicates clarity, trust and reassurance becomes more than a differentiator, it becomes a safe place to land. If your strategy shows buyers that they are seen, heard and cared for, even simple commitments like “we close on time” or “your price is secure” carry deeper meaning. They signal reliability and reduce fear.
Consumers no longer begin with a presumption of trust toward institutions, companies or established brands. Instead, they lean heavily on influencers, content creators and disaggregated connections for guidance. Insurgent brands that feel fresh and people-centric have a unique opening in this environment.
Your company’s track record and industry reputation matter less than your ability to demonstrate authenticity and human connection. Prospects are more likely to trust a micro-influencer’s home tour video than your corporate marketing materials.
This shift levels the playing field for newer or privately-owned home builders and developers. By embracing radical transparency, authentic storytelling and stronger human-first positioning, you can build trust faster than competitors relying on traditional brand authority. Consider partnerships with local content creators and focus on showing real people living real lives in your communities.
The wellness amenities arms race is giving way to a deeper focus on connection, purpose and endurance. Wellness isn’t a product to consume; it’s a lived experience. Human-centric design – informed by neuroscience, light, biophilia, cultural relevance and fractal patterns – is becoming the new differentiator.
Adding a yoga studio or meditation garden isn’t enough. Today’s buyers want communities designed to foster genuine human flourishing over stacking trendy features.
Focus on design elements that create lasting well-being: natural light patterns that support circadian rhythms, biophilic design that connects residents to nature, community spaces that encourage authentic interaction, and layouts that reduce stress and promote connection. These evidence-based design principles cost no more than traditional approaches but deliver significantly greater resident satisfaction and word-of-mouth marketing.
Daily-use services such as coffee shops, childcare and general stores are more valuable to buyers than flashy recreational features. The data backs this up: 78% of buyers will pay more for walkability, and civic amenities make residents three times more likely to say they have friends in their community.
The definition of community success is shifting from price per square foot to “life per square foot.” Homeowners want convenience and connection more than they want impressive but infrequently used amenities.
Prioritize neighborhood commercial development including coffee shops, retail markets, pharmacy/general stores, pet grooming and daycare facilities. These daily-use amenities create the foundation for authentic community building while providing ongoing revenue streams. Mixed-use development isn’t just trendy – it’s becoming essential for community success.
Traditional marketing approaches are increasingly ineffective with today’s skeptical, information-overloaded prospects. Social listening and adaptive campaigns focused on problem-solving, humor and time-saving experiences resonate with consumers who want change, not the status quo.
Your marketing strategy needs to be more agile, more authentic and more focused on solving real problems than just showcasing features. Consumers are eager for novelty and disruption. They want to engage with brands that feel modern, adaptive and aligned with their values.
Implement quarterly “innovation days” to keep your marketing fresh and responsive. Focus on placemaking, cultural alignment and marketing strategies that emphasize fun, problem-solving and experiences. Use social listening to understand what your prospects actually care about, then create content that addresses those concerns directly and authentically. Consider focus grouping your campaigns with current residents and prospects to do a “gut check” on messaging and ensure your marketing truly resonates with your target audience.
Average incomes often don’t align with average sale prices, requiring innovation beyond traditional cost-cutting measures. Developers must avoid mismatched products for markets and recognize that affordability challenges require creative financing models and product innovation.
Simply building smaller or cheaper isn’t enough. Today’s affordability crisis requires systemic thinking about product types, financing options and community development models.
Consider innovative approaches like rent-to-own programs, shared equity models or suburban developments that bring the best of urban living to more affordable suburban environments. Explore product types that serve emerging demographic segments like SINK (single income, no kids), DINK (dual income, no kids) or one of our favorite conference acronyms, DINK WAD (thanks to Seth Hart with DTJ Design for this one, meaning dual income, no kids, with a dog) households who have different space and lifestyle needs than traditional families.
For younger generations, volatility isn’t a temporary state. It’s the only reality they’ve known. They have grown up during repeated economic shocks, from the Great Recession housing crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic with inflation and global supply disruption, plus rapid technological and societal change. Demographic pressures are rising with Gen Z delaying traditional milestones, and by 2038, there will be more deaths than births in the U.S. This combination makes agility, creativity and foresight essential for long-term success.
Your business strategy must be built for adaptability, not stability. The companies that thrive will be those that can quickly adjust to changing demographics, economic conditions and consumer preferences.
Build organizational capabilities around adaptability, people development and the courage to make bold choices. Consider how autonomous vehicles, delayed life milestones and changing work patterns will impact your communities over the next decade.
These insights point to a fundamental shift in how successful community development works. The home builders and developers who will thrive are those who:
Stop trying to be everything to everyone and start being something specific to someone. Authenticity beats authority in today’s market.
Move beyond amenities checklists to create environments that genuinely support well-being, connection and daily life convenience.
Develop systems and cultures that can respond quickly to changing market conditions and consumer preferences.
Optimize for resident experience and community connection, not just financial metrics.
Implement radical transparency and human-first communication strategies that acknowledge today’s skeptical consumer mindset.
The New Home Trends Summit reinforced what we’ve been seeing in our work with forward-thinking clients: the most successful communities and home builders are those that understand and respond to fundamental shifts in how people want to live, work and connect.
These aren’t temporary trends – they represent lasting changes in consumer expectations and demographic realities. The developers who recognize and adapt to these changes now will have significant competitive advantages as the market evolves.
At Milesbrand, we’re already incorporating these insights into our strategic work with clients, helping them build brands and communities that align with these new realities while staying true to their core mission and values.
The question isn’t whether these trends will impact your business – it’s whether you’ll adapt proactively or reactively.
Want to explore how these trends apply to your specific market and development projects? The Milesbrand team brings deep experience in translating industry insights into actionable branding and marketing strategies that drive results. Contact us to discuss how we can help position your communities for success in this evolving landscape.