There are moments when something shifts right in front of you, not loudly or all at once, but in a way that, once seen, can’t be unseen.
For me, one of those moments happened in a municipal building in Madison, New Jersey. A sculpture by Auguste Rodin had been sitting there for decades, not hidden, just unrecognized.
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Mallory Mortillaro, then a Drew University art history student and local teacher, had been cataloging the building’s artwork when something about the piece caught her attention. She thought it might be a Rodin sculpture. But how could that be possible, a Rodin in New Jersey? It seemed like a long shot. And yet, it had been there all along, hiding in plain sight.
She set out to confirm what it might be. It was a process that took time and ultimately led to the discovery and public unveiling of the sculpture in 2017, following authentication in Paris. There were long lines, people eager to catch a glimpse of Rodin’s work and journalists there to capture what felt like an exhilarating moment in time. Being in the room where it happened, I remember getting goosebumps.
What stayed with me was the realization that something monumental had been right there, and yet not fully seen. It made me wonder how often we miss what something truly represents, even when we’re looking directly at it.
That thought came back to me when I read a recent New York Times article on the rise in home renovation, “Why Are We Spending So Much Money on Home Renovations?”
Rising trend
The New York Times article points to a clear trend: Millennials are now outspending every other generation on home renovation. It cites familiar drivers, including more time at home, shifting priorities and a renewed focus on how space is used.
At first glance, it reads as a story about upgrades, kitchens, baths, finishes, aesthetic choices that reflect changing tastes. But the more you sit with it, the more it begins to feel like something else.
Because while renovation is what we see, it’s not the full explanation. It’s something happening in plain sight, a visible outcome of a shift in how buyers are making decisions.
And that prompts an interesting question: “Where have all the move-up buyers gone?”
What’s driving many of the decisions millennials are making starts well before any renovation begins. This was never just about the upgrade.
Buyers walk into a home for sale and almost immediately begin to rework it in their minds. Walls come down. Kitchens open up. Spaces shift in ways that feel almost second nature. That instinct didn’t develop overnight.
It’s been influenced by television shows like Fixer Upper and Property Brothers, where transformation is expected, and possibility feels within reach. Over time, that exposure appears to have expanded how buyers think about what a home could become.
When a buyer can clearly see a better version of a home, it becomes harder to accept one that falls short. As Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
And once that happens, the equation changes. You can’t take renovation out of the picture and expect the move-up buyer to return unchanged. The mindset has already taken hold, and renovation becomes part of how buyers make decisions.
Where the move-up buyers went
For decades, housing followed a predictable path. A first home led to a second, larger one, and the move-up buyer was an expected part of that progression. That path is no longer as linear as it once was.
Industry reports have pointed to many homebuyers entering the market later than previous generations, becoming more deliberate about what they want in a home and less willing to compromise once they find it. They’re often willing to wait, not just for any home, but for the right one, because in many cases, this isn’t simply the next step. It’s a decision they expect to live with for a long time. The stakes feel higher, and the margin for compromise feels smaller.
They aren’t simply asking what comes next. They’re asking what fits. And for many, that mindset is quietly redefining what would have once been a move-up decision.
The growth in renovation isn’t happening in isolation. It is often driven by the very buyers who, in another market cycle, would have been moving up. They’re still there. Still looking. Still evaluating their options.
And instead of relocating, many appear to be choosing to stay in their single-family homes and adapt them around how they want to live, not because they have to, but because they don’t want to give up what they already have: the neighborhood, the rhythm of daily life, and the intangible qualities that don’t show up on a listing sheet but shape how a home is experienced.
And when the right next home doesn’t present itself, or requires too much compromise, the question itself begins to change. The question is no longer, “Where do we move next?” It becomes, “How do we make this home work better?”
What today’s buyers are compromising
A young couple I worked with was buying their first home. They chose a four-bedroom, two-bath ranch-style home with a lower level. The home felt like it could work for them based on where they were at the time, and for a while, it did.
But as they settled in and their first baby arrived, how they were living in the home gradually began to reveal what wasn’t working. While the home had two full bathrooms, there was no dedicated primary bath. At first, it felt manageable. Over time, it became more problematic. When guests came over, they were sharing the same bathroom. There was no space that felt truly their own.
So they began to explore what it would take to change it. Their first thought was to expand the footprint of the home to add a new primary en-suite, but due to zoning and lot coverage constraints, that wasn’t feasible.
Next, they explored moving up. They spent months touring homes in a higher price segment, expecting that the solution would be found there. But something didn’t quite line up. While the homes offered more square footage, many were dated. They envisioned having to renovate kitchens and baths, and in many cases, the room flow still didn’t align with how they wanted to live.
Gives and gains
It became increasingly clear what they would have to give up. What they thought they would gain at a higher price point did not outweigh what they would lose.
They would lose the sidewalks where they could easily stroll with their baby, the cul-de-sac setting and neighbors they had come to know and rely on, and the close proximity to main roads that made commuting manageable day in and day out. These weren’t features you could easily replicate. And the more they looked, the more the decision shifted away from moving up to a larger home.
So they paused and began to look at their home differently. If expanding outward wasn’t possible, they asked a new question. Could they build upward? Could they stay and rework what they already had?
After running the numbers and realizing they could design a home that truly supported their lifestyle, they decided to add a second story. This would create the primary suite their home had never had, a space that felt private, functional and fully their own.
It wasn’t the obvious choice, but it was the right one. The decision was no longer about getting more. It was about keeping what mattered.
What’s hiding within the renovation boom
I find myself thinking back to that moment in Madison, New Jersey. A sculpture by Auguste Rodin had been there all along, not hidden, just not fully seen. The renovation boom feels similar. It’s easy to focus on what’s visible: homes being updated, spaces being reworked. But what’s driving it has been in plain sight.
Many homebuyers are entering the housing market later. Waiting longer. Making more deliberate decisions about where and how they live. And when the next move doesn’t align with their lifestyle, they don’t move. They adapt.
And that’s where the realization begins to take shape.
Hiding in plain sight within the renovation boom is the move-up buyer. Not gone. Not replaced. Just redefined.
Suzy Minken is a top-producing Realtor at Compass. Get connected on LinkedIn and Instagram.
