Buyer behavior / Luxury real estate / 2026
What Luxury Homebuyers Want Before They Book a Showing
The convenience economy is reshaping how people research homes. Here’s what that means for selling a luxury property in Bergen County and Northern New Jersey.
rated detailed property information very useful.
NAR 2025 · Buyers who used the internet [1]said 3D tours help them get a better feel for a space than photos.
Zillow 2026 · Surveyed buyers [2]reported visits they could have skipped with better floor-plan information.
Zillow 2026 · Surveyed buyers [2]It’s 10:30 p.m. A buyer opens your listing. The photos catch their attention. Now they want to know where the bedrooms are, how the kitchen connects to the living spaces, and whether the lower level opens to the yard.
Can your listing answer those questions while they’re still interested?
At New Jersey Proper, we believe this is one of the most useful questions a seller can ask. Buyers can order groceries, compare cars and research major purchases whenever they have a free moment. We see that expectation of convenient access carrying into real estate.
What luxury homebuyers want in 2026 includes the ability to understand a property on their own schedule. A detailed online presentation gives them a way to explore the layout, revisit features and decide which questions to bring to a showing.
01 / A lasting change in habits
The convenience economy has raised expectations
Groceries ordered from the kitchen table. Clothing purchased after bedtime. A car researched from a laptop. These familiar habits help explain the convenience economy: people can gather information and act when it suits them.
The shift continued beyond the pandemic. Recent research and company results show digital purchasing growth across several categories:
| Category | What the source reported |
|---|---|
| Groceries | U.S. households earning $200,000 or more nearly doubled their online grocery spending between December 2023 and December 2025.3 |
| Home improvement | Home Depot’s fiscal 2025 online sales grew 10.4% on a comparable-week basis.4 |
| Clothing | Gap Inc.’s companywide online sales increased 4% in fiscal 2025.5 |
| Vehicles | Online vehicle retailer Carvana sold 596,641 retail vehicles in 2025, up 43% from 2024.6 |
These are different measures, not a comparison of market growth rates. Grocery totals include pickup and shipping as well as delivery; retailer figures describe the individual companies.
For Jason Pierce, founder and team lead of New Jersey Proper, the connection to real estate is practical: people accustomed to researching purchases independently also benefit from clear, accessible information about a home. That is our interpretation of these habits, supported by research on what homebuyers find useful.
02 / From interest to understanding
Buyers want to understand the layout before they arrive
A photograph can show a beautiful kitchen. A floor plan reveals where it sits. A walkthrough shows how someone moves from that kitchen to the family room, terrace or stairs.
In NAR’s 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, 79% of buyers who used the internet rated detailed property information very useful, and 57% gave floor plans that rating.1
Zillow’s 2026 buyer research adds context: 69% agreed that 3D tours help them get a better feel for a space than static photos. And 52% said they had wasted time visiting properties they would have skipped if they had understood the floor plan beforehand.2
These are national findings, not a survey limited to Bergen County or luxury buyers. Zillow’s figures include respondents who somewhat or completely agreed.
For a large home with several floors, guest spaces and recreation areas, that clarity can be especially useful. Buyers may need to understand the distance between bedrooms, how an office relates to the main living areas, or which rooms connect to outdoor space.
The same presentation can remain useful after a visit. A buyer can revisit the layout, share the home with someone who could not attend, or prepare more specific questions for their agent.
“We looked through that tour many times between showings to get a feel for the home and what we could do with it.”
Harry Moumdjian · Buyer of 766 Wooded Trail, Franklin Lakes
From a testimonial on NJ Proper’s website; an individual buyer’s experience.
03 / How we present a home
What a complete luxury real estate presentation includes
Our media package is built around the questions a buyer may have as they explore a property. Each format explains a different part of the home.
A walkthrough with orientation
Continuous footage shows how rooms connect. A floor plan overlay identifies the room on screen and its location. Labels, dimensions and known features—such as radiant heat, prewiring or appliance details—add context. Aerial footage often shows the setting.
Photography and floor plans
HDR photography lets buyers examine spaces and visible finishes. Floor plans explain the relationship between rooms and floors, making it easier to revisit a detail or discuss the layout with someone else.
An interactive Matterport tour
Buyers choose where to look and how long to stay. We do not virtually stage or cosmetically retouch our Matterport imagery. Selected personal details may be blurred for privacy; visible features reflect the home at scanning.
Available property documents
Seller disclosures and surveys are provided when available, giving buyers and their advisers documents to review as they evaluate the property and prepare follow-up questions.
Context about the location
Information about the surrounding area and local lifestyle helps buyers consider the setting alongside the house. This can be useful when exploring an unfamiliar Bergen County or Northern New Jersey town.
Video for social discovery
Original vertical videos for Instagram and Facebook, plus separate TikTok content, introduce the property in each platform’s format. Interested viewers can then explore the more detailed property presentation.
04 / The New Jersey Proper perspective
Why we invest in helping buyers understand a home
Our approach comes from working with buyers and sellers throughout Northern New Jersey’s luxury market. We believe detailed presentations have been an important contributor to our growth.
Experience behind the approach
According to our published review of NJMLS data, New Jersey Proper ranked No. 1 among teams by 2025 residential sales volume for homes priced at $3 million and above, as well as the $10 million-and-above segment.
The team also represented at least one party in each of the five highest-priced qualifying residential sales reported by NJMLS from August 23, 2023 through August 23, 2026.8
Rankings are team-published, apply to NJMLS-reported transactions and include buyer and seller representation. The linked review explains qualifying categories and exclusions. These records do not isolate marketing’s effect on results.
“We invest in that work because sellers deserve a presentation that explains their home, and buyers deserve the information to decide whether it could be right for them.”
Jason Pierce · Founder & Team Lead, New Jersey Proper
Presentation works alongside preparation, pricing, agent relationships and negotiation. It also supports the personal guidance buyers seek: NAR’s 2025 report found that 88% of buyers purchased through an agent or broker.1
05 / Before your home goes live
Five questions to ask about your listing
If you’re preparing to sell a luxury home in Bergen County or Northern New Jersey, open the proposed listing on your phone and review it from a buyer’s perspective.
- Can I understand the layout? Look for floor plans and a walkthrough that explain how rooms and levels connect.
- Can I identify the home’s meaningful features? Check that known details are clearly labeled, including features a photograph cannot easily explain.
- Can I explore at my own pace? Buyers should be able to pause, revisit spaces and share the presentation.
- Can I review the available information in one place? Bring the gallery, tours, floor plans and available documents together.
- Is the next step clear? Make it easy for an interested buyer to ask a question or arrange a showing.
A useful presentation gives someone a reason to keep exploring. It helps them move from admiring a room to understanding whether the home could work for them.
06 / Common questions
Digital home tours, explained
What is the difference between a video walkthrough and a Matterport tour?
A video walkthrough follows a planned route through the home and can include labels, dimensions and a floor plan overlay. A Matterport tour lets the viewer choose where to move and look. Together, they offer both guided context and independent exploration.
How do floor plans help someone evaluate a luxury home?
Floor plans show relationships that individual photos may leave unclear: where bedrooms sit, how living spaces connect and how each level is arranged. They help buyers prepare specific questions about the home’s use and layout.
Should an online tour replace an in-person showing?
Online tours are useful for initial research and revisiting details. An in-person showing, professional advice and appropriate due diligence help buyers assess the property more fully. Our approach uses digital information alongside personal service.
Sources & research notes
- National Association of REALTORS® — 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report. Exhibit 3-6, printed p. 56: 79% for detailed information and 57% for floor plans, among buyers using the internet. Printed p. 59: 88% purchased through an agent. Survey findings concern the 12-month period ending June 2024.
- Zillow Research — Buyers: Results from the Consumer Housing Trends Report 2026. Published October 14, 2026. National buyer responses; 69% for 3D-tour usefulness and 52% for avoidable visits. Both include somewhat/completely agree.
- Brick Meets Click — December 2025 Grocery Shopper Survey. Published January 22, 2026. The $200K+ household finding compares December 2023 and December 2025; online grocery includes delivery, pickup and ship-to-home.
- The Home Depot — Fiscal 2025 Form 10-K. Online sales increased 8.7% as reported and 10.4% on a comparable-week basis; fiscal 2024 had 53 weeks. The measure excludes HD Supply and SRS, including GMS.
- Gap Inc. — Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2025 Results. Full-year companywide online sales increased 4%; the measure is not limited to children’s clothing or the Gap brand.
- Carvana — Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results. Published February 18, 2026. Retail vehicles sold: 596,641, up 43%. This is a company unit-sales measure.
- New Jersey Proper — Jason Pierce profile and testimonials. Harry Moumdjian’s review concerns 766 Wooded Trail, Franklin Lakes. An individual experience does not establish typical results.
- New Jersey Proper — Rankings, Awards & Record Sales. Team-published NJMLS review. Rankings include buyer and seller representation and exclude categories specified on the source page. NJMLS information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
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