Lake City, Colorado, October 9, 2026 / PRNewswire / -- The latest market intelligence released by the COGNITION Smart Data portal under Green Builder Media shows that homebuyers are increasingly evaluating affordability from different perspectives: what is the cost of owning and maintaining a home each month?

Titled ""Not just initial costs, but total costs will unlock the affordability of housing in the future."According to a report based on a proprietary survey conducted by COGNITION Smart Data among consumers, homeowners, and construction professionals, there is a clear disconnect between the affordable levels for homebuyers, the factors they value, and the products currently offered in the housing industry.

The dream of owning a home remains surprisingly strong. Among those surveyed who rent, half expect to buy a house in the future, while another 11.7% said they "might" buy a house. However, 41.7% of consumers stated that in reality, they need housing with prices below $200,000.

Data from COGNITION also shows that in order to purchase a home, consumers are willing to make significant sacrifices. Three-quarters of the respondents stated that they would be willing to move in order to find more affordable housing; if this means being able to own a home sooner, over 40% of the respondents would be willing to accept a house that is 25% smaller in size than the average new single-family residence.

Perhaps more importantly, the definition of "affordability" itself is changing. Homebuyers believe that improving energy efficiency, optimizing space utilization, and smaller apartment sizes are some of the main ways to reduce long-term housing costs.

COGNITION Smart Data, the vice president of market analysis under Green Builder Media, and Jennifer Castenson stated: "Discussions about affordability have always been dominated by the purchase price, but this is only a part of the actual cost that people pay to live in a house. Our data shows that there is room for rethinking housing products in terms of total monthly costs, efficiency, durability, and designs that meet consumer needs."

"Not just initial cost, but full cost, will unlock the affordability of future housing." It is currently available for free download. The company states that if you wish to learn more about COGNITION Smart Data, you can also visit the relevant page to experience the platform.

About COGNITION Smart Data

COGNITION Smart Data is the market intelligence and data platform for Green Builder Media. It tracks the constantly changing consumer behavior, emerging technologies, policy changes, competitive benchmarks, and market demand signals to help housing industry institutions adjust their products, information dissemination, and innovation directions according to the evolving market demands.