Mid-session legislative round-up on housing

In March, DFL leaders from the House and Senate introduced its ‘All Roads Lead Back to Home” plan, a series of proposals aimed at addressing homelessness, investments in development infrastructure, and various rental support programs.

Several stand-alone bills are moving on several issues relating to housing regulatory and workforce policies. In many other states, lifting barriers to structure and lot size, and cutting process red tape have been top priorities. With the exception of the ‘Legalize Affordable Housing’ being discussed in the Minnesota House of Representatives, the housing priorities in Minnesota have been largely focused elsewhere.

Industry leaders say that some of the priorities under consideration would actually create new, additional barriers, increasing the likelihood that the state’s housing deficit grows.

Proposals cited as new barriers include the expansion of energy code adoption policies, banning the construction of single-family homes for rent, and a proposal to overhaul the industry workforce structure relationship between general and sub-contractors.

“The cost of housing and new construction in Minnesota is dramatically more expensive than all surrounding states. Weather and cost of building materials cannot be blamed for the cost difference because weather and the cost of building materials is comparable in surrounding states,” said State Senator Eric Lucero. “Unfortunately, the Democrat majority has put little effort into determining the root cause of expensive housing in Minnesota and even less effort into increasing supply of housing new construction. It is effectively illegal to build affordable housing in Minnesota. The only way to achieve more housing supply is to remove government barriers and over-regulation and getting government out of the way is among the priorities Republicans are fighting for.”

Location still number one desired feature for homebuyers

According to a recent consumer survey by Zonda location is still the number one feature homebuyers are looking for in their new home, followed by home design and price.

Zonda principal Mollie Carmichael shared her insights on the new survey results from over 60,000 consumers during her most recent outlook webinar on 2023 consumer trends.

“It's important to understand current product trends and what's going on in home design,” said Carmichael. “It’s going to trigger them to make a decision when rates are creeping up and they're just a little bit more sensitive to buying.”

Carmichael outlined which home trends buyers simply expect to see in 2023 new builds and trends that will go above and beyond, exceeding consumer expectations.

Some of the top trends expected in 2023 include smart-home technology, indoor-outdoor living, and the large primary suite. Trends anticipated to exceed consumer expectations include net-zero-ready features, large windows that add natural light, and new tech-savvy storage solutions.

Kitchen trends topping the survey results are large islands and multi-use spaces, bluetooth appliances, storage solutions, and walk-in pantries.

Top trends expected by buyers:

• Sustainable design and eco-friendly materials

• Smart-home technology

• Indoor-outdoor living

• Custom thought-out choices

• Primary suite with spa-like features

• Well-designed kitchens

• Storage, storage, storage

• Plan for pets

Top trends anticipated to exceed consumer expectations:

• Smaller footprints with more creative design

• Passive house with net-zero-ready features

• Use of light to make smaller spaces feel large

• More accessible design

• Healthy living, working, and aging

• Multi-generational housing/accessory dwelling units

• New tech-savvy storage solutions

• Metaverse engagement