Research

The State of the First-Time Custom-Home Buyer (2026)

Our flagship benchmark is in progress. We are aggregating discovery-stage data from BuilderConcierge AI users across the United States to publish the first independent picture of what first-time custom-home buyers actually want, what they're willing to spend, and where the planning process most often breaks down.

What we're measuring

  • Budget bands by region and household income.
  • Program priorities (square footage, bedrooms, primary-suite location, outdoor program).
  • Land status at the time of first inquiry — own, under contract, searching, undecided.
  • Top reasons projects stall between discovery and groundbreaking.
  • Builder selection criteria first-time buyers actually weight.

Methodology

The benchmark draws on anonymized, aggregated Home Vision Discovery responses. Individual respondents are never identifiable; findings are reported in distributions, not in individual answers. Data collection and reporting follow our content methodology.

Be the first to read it

Start your Home Vision below to contribute anonymously to the data set, and we'll send you the full report when it publishes.