Home, almost half of Italians dissatisfied with their home

For 90% of Italians the house is at the top of the list of priorities. But 48% say they are just or partially satisfied with the house where they live. Here are the 2019 results of CasaDoxa, the National Observatory on Italians and the home created by listening to the voice of 7.000 families located throughout the national territory.

The relationship between Italians and the home has strong roots and is increasingly solid: in fact, for 90% of them the house is at the top of the list of priorities and it covers a multiplicity of meanings that go far beyond the idea of ​​physical good with an economic value. For this reason, today, we talk about the “existential value” of one’s own home, perceived as an affective place of those who live there.

However, almost half of Italians say they are not fully or partially satisfied with their home, recognized as a “container” in which to live, that represents them only in part. This is testified by the results of CasaDoxa, the National Observatory on Italians and the home, presented in Milan by Doxa, which called on the real estate market operators to share the results of the Observatory and discuss the evolution of the sector, understand its criticalities and seize the opportunities.

The Doxa Observatory, which listened to the voice of 7.000 families located throughout the national territory, focused on the families that declared themselves to be little or partially satisfied with the house in which they live, equal to 48% of the total number of respondents, to investigate trends and motivations behind this sentiment.

It emerged that 64% of the tenants are dissatisfied with their home and how, although to a lesser extent, so is 44% of homeowners.

And again, those who suffer the most from living in homes “distant” from their living ideals are precisely the millennials (52% of respondents) and families with a monthly net income of less than 2,000 euros (53%).

EYES ON MODERNITY AND EFFICIENCY – This dissatisfaction is due to some specific elements. One above all: the structural characteristics of buildings (exterior appearance, apartment size, distribution of interior spaces and quality of materials and interior finishes). With numbers that speak for themselves: the percentages of dissatisfied are equal to 50% among the families that live in houses built before 1990, while they drop significantly to 18% among those living in new buildings, built after 2015.

And again, among the reasons for the dissatisfaction, there is also the new way of understanding the quality of life and one’s own living, characterized by the desire to see one’s own sustainability principles also reflected in one’s housing choices. In fact, the Observatory shows how Italians would like to live in more energy-efficient homes, with consequent both environmental and economic benefits, with lower ordinary and extraordinary management costs.

DISSATISFACTION AS A MOTOR OF CHANGE – This sense of partial satisfaction generates a strong desire for change: about 25% of dissatisfied would like to move to a new house within two years. A will that does not arise from a social or geographical mobility, as mentioned, but from the unprofitable characteristics of the dwelling in which we currently live. 52% of those who would like to move state that they would like to stay in the same neighborhood or in neighboring areas.

However, change is far from easy: many are “discouraged”. About 30% of those who want to move away abandon the search after the first few months of attempts, to retrace their steps and delay the realization of their desire for change. In fact, they decide to adapt and try to intervene on their home with small or large improvements.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE COMFORT CONCEPT – With the new way of experiencing the home, the concept of comfortable spaces also evolves, which according to the interviewees must have six prerogatives: ambient brightness, thermal / acoustic comfort, safety, energy efficiency, technology simplifying, adaptability.

• The kitchen, the great protagonist: where heat and energy are essential elements. It is the space where welcoming the family, and at the same time a functional space to be equipped with efficient and latest generation appliances.
• The living area: the multi-functional space for excellence that brings together family and guests, where comfort and transformability are the most relevant aspects.
• Bathrooms: they must be evocative and relaxing and must combine functionality and service.
• Outdoor spaces: enjoyable and versatile. Terraces, balconies and gardens are key elements of comfort that symbolically become almost an oasis of peace and, in the case of the garden, a driver of choice in moving from the city to the hinterland for families with children.
• Supporting rooms: essential spaces to personalize, where to concentrate on one’s work and devote oneself to passions.
• Service rooms: versatile spaces such as laundries, storage rooms and small pantries that become important spaces for keeping things in order. Keywords: discretion and functionality.

«The ideal home is today perceived as “a tailor-made suit” that must be adapted to those who live it and not vice versa. Italian families no longer want to live in “clothes” designed for other times, occasions or needs. In fact, our Observatory shows a profound mismatch between supply and demand in the real estate market, or a generalized request for more modern and efficient houses in the face of a real estate proposal that mainly includes dated and standardized houses» says Paola Caniglia, Home & Retail Director of BVA DOXA. “We are pleased that, again this year, a key trend has emerged from our Observatory that can guide the evolution of the real estate market in the coming years. CasaDoxa, our HUB of sharing and comparison, was born precisely with this aim: to dialogue with industry players so that they can become aware and orient business strategies towards solutions that meet the needs of families, which we collect every year through our privileged Observatory».