What types of features make up the perfect home? Everybody is going to have a slightly different answer to that question. One person might dream of having a spacious walk-in closet, another person might love a huge backyard, and another person could really want a home with a converted attic space. Despite the fact that people can have such widely different ideas of what the perfect home includes, there are trends in what sorts of features home buyers are looking for. If you’re thinking of putting your home on the market, here are just a few of the most popular features buyers are looking for right now.
Open Floor Plans
In recent years, open floor plans have become extremely popular. Rather than having homes that have clearly defined rooms, lots of people love the idea of having spaces that flow into each other and allow them to feel connected to the other people in their home. This tends to be most popular in kitchen/dining room/living room areas so that people can easily interact with their guests and parents can keep an eye on children while they cook.
Durable, Low-Maintenance Features
Certain things in your home are inevitably going to see lots of wear and tear from day-to-day use, like flooring and kitchen counters. For things like these, people looking for ones made of materials that are going to stand the test of time and won’t require a lot of effort to maintain. For example, carpeting was very popular for a long time, but many people now tend to prefer hardwood floors that won’t get worn down as easily. Instead of ceramic tile or laminate kitchen countertops, home buyers are looking for granite or quartz counters.
Energy Efficiency
There are lots of different things a person can do to start leading a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, such as walking to work instead of driving or bringing reusable bags to the grocery store. But many people who are in the market for a new home are searching for homes that have features that will allow them to make a bigger difference. Things like ample insulation, vinyl replacement windows, trees in the yard that provide natural cooling, steel-core exterior doors, and Energy Star certified appliances are all things that are very likely to make a potential home buyer very happy. Not only are these types features good for the environment, they help homeowners save money.
Storage Options
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t need a place to store things. Spacious closets, linen closets, kitchen pantries, basement storage, garage shelving, shelving throughout the house -- all of these are things home buyers would be thrilled to see. Of course, those aren’t the only types of storage home buyers are looking for. Get creative! If you have any other ideas for unique storage solutions, potential buyers who are looking at your home may be very excited to see your ideas.
Laundry Rooms
Believe it or not, dedicated laundry rooms are a pretty big deal to a lot of home buyers. According to the 2013 “What Home Buyers Really Want” report from the National Association of Home Builders, 57% of people who were looking for a home with a laundry room considered it an essential feature. We all need to do our laundry and it’s a much more enjoyable chore when you have a laundry room complete with surfaces to fold laundry on, a place to hang things that don’t go in the dryer, and places to store your detergent and fabric softener.
