There are moments when something changes before your eyes, not loudly or all at once, but in such a way that once you see it, it becomes invisible.
For me, one of those moments happened at City Hall in Madison, New Jersey. Auguste Rodin’s sculpture sat there for decades, unhidden and simply unrecognized.
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Mallory Mortillaro, then an art history student at Drew University and a local teacher, was cataloging the building’s art when something about the work caught her attention. She thought it might be a Rodin sculpture. But how is that possible for Rodin in New Jersey? It seemed like a long chance. Yet it was always there, hidden in plain sight.
She tried to see what it was. This was a lengthy process that ultimately led to the sculpture’s discovery and public display in 2017, following authentication in Paris. There were long lines of people waiting to catch a glimpse of Rodin’s work, and journalists there to capture what felt like an exhilarating moment. I was in the room where the incident happened and I remember getting goosebumps.
What stayed with me was the realization that something monumental was right there, but not yet fully visible. It made me wonder how often we miss what something really represents, even when we’re looking at it firsthand.
That thought came to mind when I read a recent New York Times article about the rise in home renovations, “Why Are We Spending So Much on Home Improvements?”
upward trend
A New York Times article points to a clear trend: Millennials are spending more on home improvements than other generations. The report cites increased time at home, changing priorities and a new focus on how space is used as factors.
At first glance, it reads like a story about upgrades, kitchens, baths, finishes, and aesthetic choices that reflect changing tastes. But the more you sit, the more it starts to feel like something else.
Because while renovations are what we see, they don’t explain everything. It’s happening and it’s a tangible result of a change in the way buyers make decisions.
And that raises an interesting question: “Where have the advance buyers gone?”
The drivers of many of the decisions Millennials make begin long before renovations begin. This is by no means just an upgrade issue.
When buyers walk into a home for sale, they immediately start re-creating it in their minds. The wall is collapsing. The kitchen will be open. The space transforms in a way that feels almost natural. That instinct didn’t develop overnight.
It’s influenced by TV shows like Fixer Upper and Property Brothers, where change is expected and possibilities feel within reach. Over time, that exposure appears to have expanded buyers’ thinking about what a home could be like.
When buyers can clearly see a better version of a home, they’ll have a harder time accepting a home that doesn’t meet their expectations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Once the mind is expanded by new ideas, it never returns to its original dimensions.”
And when that happens, the equation changes. You can’t completely ignore renovations and expect the next buyer to come back the same way. This mindset is already here to stay, with renovations becoming part of buyers’ decision-making.
Where did the early purchasers go?
For decades, housing followed a predictable path. The first home led to a second, larger home, and move-up buyers were expected to be part of that progression. The path is no longer as straight as it once was.
Industry reports point out that many homebuyers are entering the market later than previous generations, are more cautious about what they want in a home, and are less willing to compromise when they find a home. Often, this isn’t just the next step, so they’re willing to wait until they find the right home, rather than just any home. It was a decision they made with the expectation that they would be together for a long time. The risks feel high and the margin for compromise seems small.
They’re not just asking what happens next. They’re asking what fits. And for many, that mindset is quietly redefining what would once have been a promotion decision.
The growth in renovations is not happening in isolation. Often driven by the very buyers who would have gone up in another market cycle. they are still there. Still looking. Still considering options.
And many people seem to be choosing to continue living in single-family homes and live in a way that suits them, rather than moving. Not because they have to, but because they don’t want to let go of what they already have: the neighborhood, the rhythms of daily life, the intangible qualities that don’t show up on the listing but shape the experience of the home.
And when a suitable next home is not found or too many compromises have to be made, the problem itself begins to change. The question is no longer “Where do I move next?” The question becomes, “How can I make this house work better?”
What today’s buyers are compromising on
A young couple I worked with were purchasing their first home. They chose a low-level ranch-style home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. I felt that the house could work based on where they were at the time, and it really did work for a while.
But as they settled in and their first baby was born, life at home slowly began to reveal what was going wrong. The home had two full bathrooms, but no private master bath. At first, I found it easy to handle. As time went on, it became more of a problem. When guests came they shared the same bathroom. There was no space that felt truly ours.
So they started looking at what it would take to change that. Their first idea was to extend the home’s footprint and add a new main en-suite bathroom, but zoning and site area constraints prevented that from happening.
Next, they considered stepping up. They spent months visiting high-end homes, hoping to find a solution there. But something went wrong. Houses offered more square footage, but many were older. Although we had planned to renovate the kitchen and bathroom, there were many cases where the flow of the room did not match the way we wanted to live.
What you get by giving
It became increasingly clear what they had to give up. What they thought they would gain at a higher price point did not outweigh what they would lose.
They will lose the easy sidewalks they could stroll with their babies, the cul-de-sac environment and the neighbors they knew and relied on, and the proximity to the highways that made their daily commutes easier. These were not features that could be easily reproduced. And the more I looked, the further away I was from making the decision to move to a bigger house.
So they stopped and started looking at their home from a different perspective. If outward expansion was not possible, we asked a new question. Can they build upwards? Could they stay there and recreate what they already had?
After crunching the numbers and realizing they could design a home that truly supported their lifestyle, they decided to add a second floor. This created a primary suite that they didn’t have in their home, creating a space that felt private, functional and completely their own.
It wasn’t the obvious choice, but it was the right one. The decision was no longer about getting more. It was about protecting something important.
What lies behind the renovation boom?
I found myself remembering that moment in Madison, New Jersey. Auguste Rodin’s sculpture has always been there, but not hidden, just never fully seen. The renovation boom has a similar feel. It’s easy to focus on what’s tangible, like a home being updated or a space being redone. But what’s driving it is clear.
Many homebuyers are entering the housing market later. The waiting time will be longer. Make more deliberate decisions about where and how you live. And if their next move doesn’t suit their lifestyle, they stay put. they adapt.
And from there, recognition begins to take shape.
In the midst of the renovation boom, there are move-up buyers out of the public eye. It hasn’t disappeared. Not replaced. I just redefined it.
Suzy Minken is a top-performing real estate agent on Compass. Connect with us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
