New Home, New Purchases: How Homeowners Invest Their Money When Moving

TL;DR

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A report published by Hardware Retailing on Oct. 1, 2026, cites National Association of Home Builders survey data showing recent homebuyers spend more on appliances, furnishings, remodeling and repairs than homeowners who did not move. First-year averages were $26,882 for buyers of newly built homes and $18,673 for buyers of existing homes, compared with $9,457 for non-moving homeowners.

Homebuyers spend more on appliances, furnishings, remodeling and repairs in the first year after a move than homeowners who stay put, according to figures from the National Association of Home Builders’ Consumer Expenditure Survey reported by Hardware Retailing on October 1, 2026. Average spending was $26,882 for buyers of newly built homes and $18,673 for buyers of existing homes, compared with $9,457 for non-moving homeowners.

The figures cover a combined group of purchases and work: appliances, furnishings, remodeling and repairs. They do not give separate totals for each category, nor do they specify how much was spent on products versus labor. The reported measure is average spending during the first year after purchase.

Hardware Retailing described buyers of newly built homes as spending nearly three times the non-mover average. Buyers of existing homes spent around twice the non-mover average. The reported amounts are $26,882, $18,673 and $9,457, respectively; the source does not provide a survey sample size, field dates or further methodological detail alongside these figures.

The report presents the spending data as relevant to hardware and home-improvement retailers considering customer demand after a move. It does not report sales results for particular stores or products, and it does not establish that every new homeowner follows the same purchasing pattern.

Why First-Year Spending Matters

The figures point to a period of elevated household spending after a home purchase, a time when owners may be equipping rooms, replacing appliances or taking on repairs and remodeling. For retailers and suppliers, the data can help frame decisions about inventory and customer outreach aimed at recent buyers. The survey figures alone, however, do not show which products are most in demand or whether the spending translates into higher sales for any specific business.

For households, the reported averages offer a broad comparison, not a recommended budget. The totals combine different types of expenses and may vary with a home’s age, condition, size and the buyer’s plans. A buyer of a newly built home may have different needs from someone moving into an existing property that requires repairs, but the source does not break out spending by those factors.

Comparing Buyers With Non-Movers

The report compares three groups: people buying newly built homes, people buying existing homes and homeowners who did not move. Its central finding is that both buyer groups reported higher average first-year spending on the listed household categories than non-moving homeowners.

Hardware Retailing’s article is attributed to Annie Dameworth and draws on the NAHB Consumer Expenditure Survey. The source excerpt does not say when the survey was conducted, how respondents were selected or whether the amounts are adjusted for inflation. Those omissions limit how precisely readers can compare the figures with other periods or populations.

Survey Details Still Missing

The published source excerpt does not provide the survey’s sample size, collection dates, respondent characteristics or methodology. It also does not state whether the averages include all buyers or only respondents reporting spending, or how expenses were categorized. Readers should treat the amounts as the figures reported by Hardware Retailing from the NAHB survey, rather than as a complete accounting of every homeowner’s costs.

It is also unclear how spending divides among appliances, furnishings, remodeling and repairs, and whether differences in home prices or regional costs affect the comparison. The data give average totals, not a spending forecast, and do not establish why newly built-home buyers had the highest average.

Retailers Await More Spending Detail

The source does not identify a scheduled follow-up release or additional survey results. More detailed information from the NAHB survey—such as its field dates, methodology and spending by category—would help clarify how broadly the reported averages apply. Until then, the figures provide a high-level comparison of first-year spending among recent buyers and homeowners who did not move, rather than a product-specific forecast.

Key Questions

How much do buyers of newly built homes spend in the first year?

The NAHB survey figures reported by Hardware Retailing give an average of $26,882 on appliances, furnishings, remodeling and repairs during the first year after purchase.

How does spending by existing-home buyers compare?

Buyers of existing homes spent an average of $18,673 during their first year after purchase, according to the report, compared with $9,457 for homeowners who did not move.

What expenses are included in the figures?

The reported total combines appliances, furnishings, remodeling and repairs. The source does not provide separate amounts for those categories.

Does the report explain how the survey was conducted?

The source excerpt names the NAHB Consumer Expenditure Survey but does not give its sample size, field dates or methodology. That information is needed to assess the figures’ scope and comparability in more detail.

Source: rss