Home Remodeling Politics
May 17, 2016 03:34AM ● By Family Features
If you’re voting Democrat this fall, you’re more likely than your Republican-voting counterparts to spend the extra money to hire a professional for your home projects.
Political affiliations have a tendency to directly affect attitudes and decision-making regarding home repair and improvement projects, according to the findings of a recent HomeAdvisor survey. But with improving labor and real estate markets – and an upcoming presidential election – how does partisan thinking factor into home improvement?
As it turns out, home improvement spending crosses political lines. According to HomeAdvisor’s 2016 True Cost Report, all homeowners – Democrats and Republicans alike – are focusing on remodeling, routine maintenance and repair, and energy and security projects.
In fact, in the last 12 months the number of homeowners who reported completion of two home maintenance and repair projects increased nearly 12 percent. Additionally, many homeowners said they expect to increase spending on major home improvement projects in 2016.
So what’s with the bi-partisan boom?
“We attribute this rise to the shrinking housing inventories and increasing home prices, which provide equity for homeowners to boost the enjoyment and monetary values of their existing properties,” said Leah Ingram, HomeAdvisor’s cost advisor.
While Republicans and Democrats are both spending money to improve their homes, it’s how they’re spending it that’s different. According to the survey, Republican homeowners are nearly 20 percent more likely than Democrat homeowners to complete home projects when they think it will be too expensive to hire a professional. Further, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to hire professionals and perform project-related research – and they’re also willing to pay 1.5 times as much as Republicans on home maintenance and repair projects.
Republicans and Democrats may differ politically, but due to an upswing in the U.S. labor and real estate markets, it’s a fact that bi-partisan home improvement spending is on the rise. For more information, visit homeadvisor.com.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images (people measuring)
