Home improvement is headed south, according to the 2012 Voice of the Consumer Report™, from Money Pit Media. This new report, featuring infographics created by O’Reilly-DePalma, reveals the latest in national home improvement trends and interests as homeowners strive to make the most of their precious property investments.

The home improvement statistics in the Voice of the Consumer are garnered from year-round audience interaction with The Money Pit syndicated home improvement radio show, MoneyPit.com, and The Money Pit’s presence on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Since 2003, Money Pit Media has categorized and tracked more than 19,000 consumer home improvement questions received by phone, email and social media.

2012 Money Pit Media Voice of the Consumer Report from Tom Kraeutler
The annual results identify consumers’ priorities for projects and products, allowing The Money Pit cohosts Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete to anticipate content interests and advertisers to deliver home improvement solutions to target customers. “We’re certainly seeing more consumers ask about bigger projects, especially beyond the basic repair questions, indicating more homeowner activity in remodeling,” said Tom Kraeutler, cohost and president of Money Pit Media.

The comprehensive 2012 Voice of the Consumer Report includes the following findings:

• Home improvement activity is ramping up in the Southeast, supporting other data showing that homes built during the first Sunbelt movement of the 1980s-90s are now in need of upgrades and updates.

• Outdoor living is a nationally leading category for discretionary remodeling investments, with the most project-related questions coming from consumers in the South.

• Multigenerational living is influencing home improvement plans. For instance, while interest in tricked-out garages decreased in 2012, one of the most popular articles on MoneyPit.com tells how to convert a garage to an extra room.

• Interest in mold detection and prevention is on the rise, with the number of queries from the West being 50% higher than the national average.

• Pinterest is the home base for home enthusiasts, emerging as the key driver of website traffic among Money Pit Media’s vibrant social properties.

• Men most often ask “how to do” a project, while women ask “how to fix” a project—which may not be a coincidence.

The complete 2012 Voice of the Consumer Report includes results on top project questions, popular product categories, regional trends, and seasonal home improvement interests and can be downloaded at no cost here: http://www.moneypitmedia.com/voice-of-the-consumer-report.html.

For more details about the Report and opportunities to leverage the full range of Money Pit Media platforms, please contact Warren Banholzer, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at 914-633-3555 or [email protected]