Hitting the mainstream is 3D printed home technology with builders claiming these homes can be built in half the time and for half the cost, according to a survey by Realtor.com. But will people actually buy them? The survey found 66 percent of all consumers and 75 percent of millennials would consider living in a 3D printed home.

The survey also found 30 percent of all respondents and 43 percent of millennials think that 3D printed homes will replace traditional methods of homebuilding, while the survey of 3,026 consumers, which was conducted online by HarrisX in July, found 42 percent have heard about 3D home printing technology. That number was much higher (63 percent) for recent home buyers, suggesting that home searchers are doing their research when it comes to new technology.

“Over the past decade, as the homebuilding industry focused mainly on the upper-end of housing, expecting younger generations to favor renting, the price of construction has pushed new homes out of reach for many first-time home buyers,” Realtor.com Senior Economist George Ratiu said. “With the largest generation in U.S. history embracing homeownership, and the pandemic accelerating the move toward suburban markets, new home construction plays a pivotal role in meeting the growing demand. As technology is advancing novel building solutions, anything we can do to reduce the cost of new construction and increase the number of available homes, especially at an affordable price point, will help to restore balance in this strong seller's market.”

Factors that would persuade people to live in a 3D printed home include lower cost (54 percent), more energy efficient (51 percent), more resistant to natural disasters (42 percent), faster to build (41 percent), more customizable (39 percent), and produces less waste than traditional building methods (32 percent).

However, Realtor.com said, some consumers are still wary of the technology. When asked what would hold them back from living in a 3D printed home, the most common response was they want to wait and see how the technology will pan out over time (36 percent). Other responses included preferring the aesthetics of a traditional home (22 percent), thinking they won't last as long (22 percent), not wanting their home to look exactly like the neighbors (18 percent), preferring an existing home to new construction (14 percent), and not trusting the technology (14 percent). Twenty-two percent of respondents said nothing would hold them back from living in a 3D printed home.

“While the technology is still somewhat nascent, our survey data shows that consumers are very interested in 3D printed homes. While there have only been a small number of 3D printed homes sold to date, as the technology continues to advance, we could see it add more affordable homes to the housing market. For the rising generations of digital natives, new building technology may provide a sustainable bridge toward homeownership,” Ratiu said.