Homeowners in the Midwest consider their homes to be the most healthy, according to findings of the 2014 Houzz Healthy Home Study. The online platform for design and remodeling surveyed 808 homeowners nationwide on the perception of their homes as "healthy" or "non-healthy." Determining factors included considerations like chemical exposure, pest control, and exposure to mold and germs among others.
The survey revealed that the newer a home is, the healthier respondents consider the structure to be (20 percent of homes built in 2001 or later were considered healthy). Of homes considered non-healthy, 52 percent were built in 1975 or earlier. A total of 54 percent of healthy homes were built in 1976 or later, compared to 48 percent of homes rated non-healthy.
Regionally, Midwesterners are most likely to consider their homes healthy, with a response of 63 percent. In the South and Northeast however, 42 percent rated their homes as non-healthy. This finding isn't too surprising considering that there's a much larger stock of existing homes in the Northeast and South than the Midwest and West, and homeowners tended to rate newer homes as healthy.
Household income is also a factor that influences the perception of a healthy of non-healthy home. A total of 65 percent of homes with a six-figure household income were rated as healthy, while 52 percent of homes with a household income lower than $50,000 were rated as non-healthy.
Check out more findings from the Houzz survey here and read the full report from Houzz.
