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Multifamily developers can make a property more appealing to Millennial and Baby Boomer buyers by prioritizing a walkable location, adaptable homes, useful shared spaces, and technology that fits local demand. Those are practical design directions—not a proven four-feature formula: the most recent cited evidence is about renters, not a representative survey of prospective buyers. Use it to frame design decisions, then validate priorities for the project’s specific market.
What should developers know before designing for these buyers?
“Millennials” and “Baby Boomers” are broad age cohorts, not precise descriptions of what an individual buyer needs. Some people in either group may value convenience, low-maintenance living, flexible space, and access to amenities; others may prioritize different features. A sound project responds to resident needs and local conditions rather than assuming age alone predicts a purchase.
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The evidence also needs a buyer-versus-renter qualification. CREDA’s 2025 article summarizes Corgan research involving nearly 1,500 renters, along with interviews with renters, property managers, and developers. It reports that just over half of surveyed renters included location among their top three attractors, and that more than 70% expressed a desire for smart-home technology. Those figures can inform a conversation about apartment design, but they do not establish what all buyers want, or what buyers in a particular market will pay for.
The distinction matters because renting and buying involve different decisions. CREDA’s summary of Corgan’s 2024 survey says 27% of current renters across three generations planned to buy a home at the end of their current lease. That suggests some renters may become buyers, but it is not a forecast of sales demand for a specific multifamily development. Treat renter findings as directional evidence, not a buyer-demand guarantee.
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With that limitation in mind, four design choices offer useful starting points. Each should be tested against the site, expected resident routines, operating requirements, and project economics.
1. How can location make a multifamily property more appealing?
Choose a location that makes everyday destinations convenient to reach, and explain the access clearly. Walkability can support people who want to spend less time driving or managing a large property, but “walkable” is only meaningful when the destinations and routes suit the people who will live there.
CREDA reports that just over half of surveyed renters placed location among their top three attractors. An older City of Winston-Salem design guide also describes walkable neighborhoods and amenities as points of shared interest for Millennials and downsizing Baby Boomers. The guide is historical planning context, not a current survey; together, these sources support treating location as a core design consideration rather than assuming a particular amenity can compensate for an inconvenient site.
For a prospective buyer, assess the practical connections around the property: grocery shopping, restaurants, transit, bike routes, green space, recreation, and cultural destinations. Distance on a map is not the whole story. Route quality, crossings, topography, lighting, and the location of entrances may affect whether a nearby destination feels usable. Describe the actual access prospects can expect, rather than relying on a generic “walkable” label.
Location is largely fixed once a site is selected, so it should inform early decisions. Map the destinations residents are likely to use and consider how the building’s entrances and shared spaces connect to the surrounding area. If a project is not close to daily needs, avoid implying that it is; instead, assess whether transit, bike access, on-site services, or other features address a real gap. The right response depends on local conditions, and these sources do not establish a universal distance or walkability threshold.
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2. What makes an apartment layout adaptable for different households?
Plan homes that can accommodate changing routines, not just a single imagined resident. Flexible layouts and adequate usable space can help a home serve more than one purpose—as a place to work, exercise, host visitors, or adjust to a household’s changing needs—without prescribing one age group’s lifestyle.
CREDA’s 2025 summary discusses flexible unit layouts, while DWS’s October 2019 report describes shared interest among Baby Boomer and Millennial renters in larger spaces and high-quality finishes. DWS is older industry research, so it should not be treated as a current measurement of buyer preferences. The overlap is still a useful design prompt: consider whether a plan gives residents options and whether those options are practical in the actual dimensions of the unit.
Adaptability is not simply adding a room or marketing a space as “flexible.” Look at circulation, storage, furniture placement, natural light, and the ability to use a space without blocking another essential function. A work area, for example, needs to fit into daily life rather than exist only as a label on a plan. Make clear what the layout genuinely permits, and avoid presenting a compact corner as a full second room if it cannot function that way.
Developers can compare plan types by the needs they address: space for remote work, guests, hobbies, or a household change. The evidence does not say every home must include a dedicated office or a larger footprint; nor does it identify a best unit size. Instead, it supports evaluating usable flexibility alongside construction and operating considerations. Local buyer feedback should establish which configurations are worth prioritizing and whether the perceived benefit matches the space allocated.
3. Which shared amenities are most useful to residents?
Favor amenities that support everyday routines and can be used conveniently, rather than building a long feature list for its own sake. Fitness areas, pools, laundry rooms, gardens, coworking spaces, and social areas appear in the available data, but the right mix depends on resident needs, site context, access, management, and ongoing upkeep.
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CREDA’s account of the Corgan research names gyms, pools, laundry rooms, gardens, and coworking spaces among the shared amenities renters use frequently. DWS’s 2019 report also describes interest in amenities and shared social spaces among Baby Boomer and Millennial renters. It notes that planned social activities may appeal to some Baby Boomer renters. That observation is a cue to validate programming locally, not a reason to assume all older residents want organized events or that younger residents do not.
Ask what routine each amenity serves. Is the fitness area easy to access and sized for likely use? Can residents use a coworking space when they need it? Is laundry convenient? Can a garden or social room work for informal gatherings as well as scheduled activities? CREDA discusses flexible scheduling and upgraded fitness spaces as ways to improve usefulness. Convenience and reliable access can matter as much as the number of amenities listed in sales materials.
Shared spaces also require attention after construction. Amenities take space, need maintenance, and may require rules or scheduling to remain usable. Consider expected frequency of use, accessibility, cleaning, operating demands, and how residents will reserve or access a space. An amenity that is costly or difficult to manage can disappoint if it is rarely used or not available when residents need it. The sources do not provide costs or a return-on-investment ranking, so developers should model project-specific operating implications rather than assume a feature pays for itself.
Social programming is best treated as an option, not an age-based mandate. If the building offers events, provide ways to participate without making attendance a condition of belonging. A welcoming shared space can support informal contact, while scheduled activities can meet the needs of residents who want them. Validate the desired balance with likely purchasers and residents in the market.
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4. How should developers decide which smart-home features to include?
Offer technology where it solves a resident problem and can be supported by the building’s infrastructure. Smart-home features may appeal to prospective residents, but the available evidence shows reported renter interest—not a requirement, a guaranteed sales advantage, or a universal preference among buyers.
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CREDA reports that more than 70% of renters in Corgan’s 2024 survey expressed a desire for smart-home technology. The article’s examples include appliances, lighting, voice assistants, smart locks, security systems, thermostats, energy management, and home automation. Those categories vary in purpose and complexity. A smart thermostat, for instance, needs to suit the building’s HVAC equipment and controls; selecting a device category alone does not establish compatibility.
Start with the use case. Ask whether a feature improves access, comfort, security, energy management, or another clearly defined part of daily life. Then consider whether it works consistently across the building, how residents will set it up and control it, and who will handle maintenance or support. Avoid layering on devices that add complexity without a clear benefit. CREDA’s account does not specify a preferred brand, system, or feature bundle.
EV charging is another infrastructure decision that should follow local demand. CREDA says more than 60% of renters in Corgan’s 2024 survey planned to own an electric vehicle within three years. This is a reported plan among the surveyed renters, not a measure of current EV ownership, a guarantee that residents will charge at the property, or proof of demand among buyers in every market. Consider the project’s electrical capacity and the local market before deciding how much charging provision makes sense.
Technology choices are most credible when they are integrated into the building plan rather than added as a sales promise. Identify the intended function, assess compatibility and operating needs, and be specific about what the property will provide. If the local evidence is uncertain, consider how a design can preserve options without claiming that every buyer wants the same technology.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How can developers turn these four ideas into a project brief?
Use the four choices as a decision framework, not a checklist that every development must satisfy in the same way. Before design is fixed, connect each proposed feature to a defined resident need and a local reason for including it.
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- Define the intended audience without reducing it to age. Identify likely household needs, routines, and purchase motivations. Treat generational findings as a source of hypotheses, not a resident profile.
- Document the site’s actual advantages and gaps. Map nearby destinations, transit, recreation, and routes. Be candid about what is accessible and what is not.
- Compare unit plans by functional flexibility. Review how spaces can accommodate work, exercise, visitors, storage, and changing needs. Check that the claimed flexibility works in the plan itself.
- Prioritize shared spaces by likely use. Weigh frequency, convenience, accessibility, scheduling, management, and maintenance—not just the number of amenities.
- Make technology decisions from use cases and infrastructure. Check compatibility, support, and local demand. Treat survey interest as context rather than a promise of return.
- Validate assumptions with the local market. Use buyer and resident feedback relevant to the project’s location and price point. The available data does not provide a universal formula, feature ranking, or cost threshold.
This framework aligns with a competitive reality described by Caitlin Sugrue Walter, senior vice president of research at the National Multifamily Housing Council: in markets where many developments come online at once and supply exceeds demand, projects need to differentiate themselves to attract consumers. Her comment, reported by the National Association of Realtors, supports differentiation as a goal; it does not mean a specific amenity guarantees absorption or sales.
The strongest proposition is therefore not “we built something for two generations.” It is a property whose location, homes, shared spaces, and technology each solve clear problems for the people most likely to choose it. Evidence about renters can help surface those possibilities, but buyer-focused local validation is essential before treating them as a sales strategy.
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Can a particular amenity guarantee faster sales or stronger demand?
No. The cited research describes reported renter preferences and does not establish that any single feature causes faster sales, higher prices, or better absorption. Developers should treat amenities as potential differentiators and evaluate them against local buyer feedback, operating requirements, and the project’s competitive context.
How can a developer validate priorities before design is finalized?
Ask prospective buyers and residents in the project’s market to rank needs and react to concrete layout or amenity options, rather than asking only whether a feature sounds appealing. Compare those responses with the site conditions and the project team’s cost and operating assumptions before committing to a feature.
Does renter research predict what multifamily buyers will purchase?
Not by itself. Renting and buying involve different decisions, and the cited CREDA summary reports renter research rather than a representative study of prospective multifamily buyers. Use it to identify questions worth investigating locally, not as a sales forecast.
