In the real estate market, a good location and attractive design are not enough to guarantee that a project will resonate with its buyers. Before deciding what to build, it is essential to understand how prospective homeowners envision their future home
The 2026 Housing Study, conducted by SSLA in Santo Domingo, offers a glimpse into these aspirations. Among the potential buyers surveyed, 57.8% indicated a house as their preferred type of housing. More than just an architectural choice, this result suggests the value families place on privacy, independence, and how they use their living spaces.
This analysis is especially useful when considering the design of a new project. Choosing a home isn't limited to its visible features; it's also linked to the routines its residents expect to develop. Therefore, understanding the target audience's preferences helps identify which user experiences should guide the residential design before deciding on finishes or promotional materials.
The preference for houses doesn't mean apartments have lost their appeal. Rather, it raises a strategic question for residential developers: what qualities of a house can be incorporated into other building types to better meet the public's expectations? Interior layout, functionality, and a sense of spaciousness can be just as important as the building's form.
The organization of spaces also emerges as a priority. In the same study, 78.1% of respondents who were asked about the number of rooms preferred three-bedroom homes. This finding points to the importance of designing homes that can adapt to different stages of family life, from daily living to new needs related to work, study, or rest.
The challenge lies in translating that aspiration into viable solutions. In an urban context where available land and development costs limit the alternatives, it won't always be possible to offer exactly the type of property that tops the list of preferences. However, it is possible to design spaces that respond to the motivations behind that choice, without losing sight of the realities of the market the project is targeting.
For developers, interpreting these preferences requires going beyond simply replicating a standard layout. An additional bedroom doesn't offer the same value in every project: its usefulness depends on the overall size, circulation, lighting, and the balance between private and shared areas. Understanding the buyer allows developers to decide which attributes to prioritize and which might increase the price without significantly improving its appeal.
These results should not be interpreted as a one-size-fits-all solution for Santo Domingo. The preferences expressed in a survey constitute a starting point that must be compared with the location of the land, demand profiles, and the specific conditions of each development. Research becomes valuable when it is used to formulate better questions and reduce decisions based solely on intuition.
Flexibility is also important; a home may seem attractive at the time of purchase, but its usefulness is tested over time. Spaces that allow for rearranging furniture, making better use of natural light, or combining activities without sacrificing comfort can contribute to a design being perceived as more suitable for everyday life. These are design decisions that deserve to be evaluated with an understanding of the demand.
In a sector where every project involves significant investments and long-term commitments, listening to the buyer from the planning stage can make all the difference. Developing with purpose isn't just about building more homes, but about creating products that convincingly meet people's lifestyle needs.
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