National Podcasting Month, A New Podcast For Homeowners

#podcast #homeowners #homebuilders

History of Podcasting

Podcasting has been around since the age of the public internet; its popularity has been ever-increasing since the easy accessibility to DSPs (digital service providers).

Spotify, Apple, and Amazon Music are just a few of the available platforms that are available, on which anyone can upload their content. Choosing a podcast for homeowners is challenging, but we want to address the reality of the home-building industry.

The process is simple, most require a simple email set-up and providing a link to your podcast content. It’s no wonder that in 2022, a study revealed that 383,678 new podcasts debuted in just the first half. It’s the best way to communicate directly with your audience. 

Shepherds Loft’s partnership

Shepherds Loft is closely tied to construction and home builders so we thought it would be appropriate to work closely with one of our customers, Michael Grant from Modern Rustic homes. We plan to provide homeowners with homebuilder and construction content on a regular basis. We will discuss how shelter shapes, defines, and inspires us to co-host a podcast.

Why we chose to podcast

We have decided to use an audio format for our discussion in a podcast for homeowners, buyers, and sellers. This not only allows us to build a deeper relationship with our customers, but also keeps our customer’s audience up to date with trends in the market.

Our first homeowner podcast

In our first podcast, “LISTEN NOW, TERRIFYING HOUSING FUTURE FOR HOMEOWNERS?” we discuss why housing is so complex. 

Firstly, one of the main hurdles the daily homeowners face is the inventory of affordable housing or lack thereof. In March, the median price of homes reached a new high of 375k. When you face these kinds of economic hardships, the average home shopper looks for alternatives.

Building your next comfort home is starting to face its challenges as many zoning regulations and restrictions bombard the least experienced. Buyer’s Remorse is a plague that we are trying to help our community avoid. 

The home-buying experience is meant to be a personal and unique experience. Zillow reports since the pandemic 75% of Americans claim to have buyer’s remorse. Combine that with the rising roadblocks that come along with qualifying for a mortgage, you have a world of buyers forced to settle. The American Dream is to become a homeowner but what are the true costs of that dream?

At the end of the day, you are either an owner or a renter. As a renter, you have the responsibility of not having much responsibility. The owner is in charge of its maintenance and upkeep. The renter is in charge of not destroying the property. But examining the costs, it’s more efficient to be a homeowner than a renter.

Someone is paying you to pay off your mortgage and fees. And as a homeowner, all your home payments and bills are tax-deductible which helps put some money back into your wallet. As the owner, you have the responsibility of maintenance of course, but you still own the property. 

So if it makes sense to own a home then why can’t everyone do it? 

What is also missing in most cities with infrastructure, is the availability of adequate homes. Breaking it down, the concept of a shelter is simple: it provides protection. In the winter it should protect you from the cold, in the summer it should protect you from the heat. But individual needs change the landscape of these necessities.

You need sanitation, security, and space. When you grow a family, these other factors become increasingly important and therefore the standard begins to scale upwards. You need to match those requirements.

Relating this point to one of the main issues, zoning restrictions, your sense of adequate living may not be enough to meet the minimum requirements for the areas you are looking to build your possible home. Therefore, you are being forced to make a decision: adequate versus availability. 

When reflecting on the family dynamic and its impact on housing culture, it is important to understand that there is not a lot of flexibility in the housing market. That is why new additions are being built into homes. Cottages for your retired parents or converting the pool house to a studio for your out-of-state children are just examples of family structure playing a huge need in housing customization. 

In 1990, there were reportedly 4 million households that consisted of 3 or more generations in the same unit. In other countries, this practice is a norm. And while this one asset of customization, allows for max comfort for the most people possible there is another side to this coin: allowing for the max comfort for individual needs. Accessibility needs play a huge role in customization. 

Since 1990, the ADA (American With Disabilities Act), every facility must come equipped with accessibility for all those who seek it. Homes are no exception. Ramps, grip bars, and easily accessible countertops are considered for accessibility.

As the market continues to be a bit unstable, the trend of Co-housing becomes more and more of a norm. Co-housing, in this instance, is the potential homeowners buying homes together with someone else. Usually, the parents of the home buyers go in together on the purchase as both parties become responsible for its care.

The blessing is that it can allow financial freedom and with the extra monthly budget, you can use that money to make your customization within city regulations. 

Our second homeowner podcast

Housing is driven by many factors, but we have highlighted some of the most important ones. Our second episode titled “Important 5L’s Of Housing, Scary home prices For People” highlights all of these factors.

Future podcasts

Join us for our next podcast as we dive deeper into these conversations. We have first discussed the issue in the current market, but that does not mean there are no answers. The first step is always awareness before we can apply the solutions to our own needs. Feel free to drop questions in the comments below. Then we can address them in our next episode!