It turns out that a green, energy efficient home built with sustainable materials is “most wanted,” according to a Yahoo! Real Estate survey of 1,500 current and aspiring homeowners.  Homeowners prefer a green home (50%) over a custom home (38%), water view (38%), suburb (31%), or living on the beach (27%).  Yahoo! found that homeowners don’t want urban locations, gated communities, or castle-style homes.

Only 5% consider a tiny house to be a “dream house,” while only 10% want an ultra-modern home with glass walls.

When asked about the top reasons for moving, survey respondents said they want a home that suits their style (47%), that’s larger (45%), that suits a life stage (44%), or that’s in a better neighborhood (30%).  About 27% would consider it a top reason to move when the home is “more environmentally sustainable.”

Lastly, about 59% of people responding said they would prefer to own a home.  When asked for their reasons for not owning a home yet, aspiring homeowners said they lack a down payment (53%), lack capital/income (51%), or have insufficient credit (38%).

So, what’s this saying about our housing culture at this point?  It seems people still want to own a home that’s spacious and in the suburbs — notwithstanding all sorts of talk about living in cities, downsizing, and renting — so long as the home is either green or energy efficient.  Thoughts?

[+] American Dream Homes Turn Green from Yahoo! Real Estate.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. Green Projects to Save Money [Survey]
2. Survey: Saving Energy is Top Priority
3. The (Green) Tiny House Movement