Staying Home For The Holidays

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich., Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Shopping and bills and cooking are the least of American's concerns with the holiday season just around the corner. While the majority (52 percent) of Americans indicate they enjoy hosting holiday gatherings in their home, many believe their house is inadequate and feel overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of hosting.  

According to the latest PulteGroup Home Index Survey (PGHI ) by PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), one of the nation's largest homebuilder, 47 percent of Americans worry that their home is not properly suited to host family and friends for the holidays,  describe hosting as stressful or as an unfair financial burden.

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MAKING HOSTING THE HOLIDAYS AT HOME EASIER 

When asked what would make hosting easier, 75 percent of survey respondents said more space in the main entertaining areas of the home would make it easier to entertain.  The top three things that would make hosting the holidays easier:

• Bigger/more open living space for guests to visit/interact – 30 percent
• A larger kitchen to accommodate holiday meals and preparation – 25 percent
• Larger dining/eating area to accommodate bigger groups – 20 percent

"Families continue to emphasize the need for space when it comes to the gathering areas of the home - not just at holiday time, but for everyday entertaining and living," said Janice Jones, PulteGroup's national vice president of merchandising. "When you feel cramped in the kitchen or family room, hosting for the holidays can be very stressful."

Meanwhile, 11 percent of males surveyed believe a better entertainment system would make hosting the holidays a lot more fun. "I have one word for that response rate," Jones says.  "Football." Additionally, majority of Americans (51 percent) say the best part of the holiday season is spending time with friends and family, while 15 percent enjoy family holiday "traditions."

When asked what their preferred holiday plans are for this year, 46 percent actually plan to host holiday gatherings in their home, 39 percent plan to go to someone else's home for the holidays, and 15 percent prefer to just get away and not celebrate the holidays.

MILLENIALS AND MEN WILL SPEND MORE MAKING MERRY AT HOME
Before Americans ring in the New Year, they will on average spend nearly $350 hosting dinners, parties and holiday gatherings. However, the survey revealed that men and millenials will spend the most on hosting family and friends.

• Millennial males plan to spend an average of $473 on hosting dinners, parties and holiday gatherings at home.
• Millennials overall plan to spend an average of $418 on hosting.
• Fifty-seven percent of millennial males (ages 18-34) would prefer to host holiday gatherings rather than going to someone else's home.

PulteGroup internal surveys and focus groups have found that more than 50 percent of millenials host friends and family in their home one to five times a month, Jones said. When entertaining, most millenials are hosting dinner parties or watching sporting events on TV, she said.

"Millenials love to entertain and are not shy about spending money on hosting family and friends in their home," Jones said.  "This is significant as we seek feedback to design new consumer-inspired floor plans to reflect how millenials live in their homes."

Are you hosting friends and family for the holidays? Are you spending more or less hosting holiday parties? Share your story on www.facebook.com/pultegroup"

About the PulteGroup Home Index Survey
The PulteGroup Home Index Survey was conducted online by Russell Research from November 8 – 11, 2013 among 883 U.S. adults who indicated they are the primary occupant of their home.  Figures for gender, age and geography were weighted where necessary to match their actual proportions in the population. With probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of +/- 4.3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.

About PulteGroup, Inc.
PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is one of America's largest homebuilding companies with operations in approximately 50 markets throughout the country.  Through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb and DiVosta Homes, the company is one of the industry's most versatile homebuilders able to meet the needs of multiple buyer groups and respond to changing consumer demand.  PulteGroup conducts extensive research to provide homebuyers with innovative solutions and consumer inspired homes and communities to make lives better.

For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, go to pultegroupinc.com; www.pulte.com; www.centex.com; www.delwebb.com and www.divosta.com.  Follow PulteGroup, Inc. on Twitter: @PulteGroupNews.

SOURCE PulteGroup, Inc.