Today's

home builders work harder than ever to satisfy

home buyers.

But

before they can truly please their customers,

home builders have to know what types of people

are buying new homes.

At

one time, most home buyers were middle-class

couples with one income and children. Such a

couple might buy a bigger or better home once Dad

grasped a higher rung on the corporate ladder.

But, otherwise, they stayed put, even after

retirement.

Times

have changed.

Modern-day

home buyers don't necessarily resemble the

all-American family of yesteryear. In fact, a

recent report compiled by the Dragonette Company

of Chicago for the National Association of Real

Estate Editors stated that the traditional home

buyer would account for less than 25 percent of

all home buyers by the year 2000. And many home

buyers will fall into more than one demographic

category.

So

who are today's home buyers?

number of recent home buyers are single. After

all, you don't need a spouse, a dog and two kids

to qualify for a mortgage. A prosperous economy

and many new home financing options have made

home ownership affordable to more individuals.

According

to the Dragonette Company's report, singles will

account for 3 percent of all first-time buyers at

the turn of the century.

As

the result of high divorce rates, more and more

single parents are buying homes. Those people are

considered "single" home buyers. Others

who fall into that category are singles who buy

homes together, each footing half the bill.

Senior

citizens comprise another demographic group of

home buyers. They are moving out of their

"empty nest" homes into smaller, more

practical housing. Some retirees are buying homes

in seniors' housing communities.

Others

prefer moving into smaller houses in more

traditional-style neighborhoods with families of

all ages. But all senior citizen home buyers

agree on what's most important in a home -

lots of amenities and convenience.

The

senior citizen home buyer contingent will

continue to grow as people continue to live

longer and healthier lives and the Baby Boomer

generation moves past middle age.

Unlike

their parents, boomers are not usually attached

to a neighborhood because they've lived in more

spread out, transient communities. So they are

more likely to make a move after they retire.

Also,

more and more minorities now qualify for

mortgages and are buying their first homes.

According to the National Association of Home

Builders' 1998 State of the Nation's Housing

report, minority households contributed to over

40 percent of the recent growth in home

ownership.

In

fact, Hispanic and Asian populations are forming

households more rapidly than any other ethnic

groups and will be buying a great number of

houses from now well into the first part of the

21st century. A steadily increasing number of

African-Americans is also purchasing homes.

Finally,

extended families make up another new batch of

home buyers. Senior citizens are living with

their children; young adults are moving back in

with their parents and divorced singles with

children are marrying each other and combining

their families.

Today's

many different home buyers want various types of

housing. Fortunately, most of them can get

exactly what they want because home builders aim

to please.