I have seen several features becoming very popular in recent
years. Everyone seems to want an open
floor plan these days. Gray is the new
neutral color that is taking over. Many
love an updated kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
The National Association of Home Builders conducted a survey
of home buyers to find out what the most important features are to buyers
looking for in a new home in 2019. Some
of these things surprised me. Let me know what you think!
11) A dining room.
This one got me. I feel like many
people do not use I dining room anymore!
I’ve seen many who have made their dining room an office or a den.
10) An eat-in kitchen.
This makes sense to me although this could be a bar height countertop
and some stools or enough space for a table and chairs.
9) Walk-in closets. I
totally get this! Especially in the
master bedroom! There are so many
beautiful closet systems and these do make a big impact.
8) Hardwood floors.
This is something that has been getting popular for a while now. People are torn on whether or not to have
carpet in the bedrooms, but most people want hardwoods every where else, in my
experience.
7) A walk-in pantry.
These also make a big impact! I’m
happy to see these making the list. Walk-in
pantries have not been a priority until recently. Clients are usually very excited to see this
in a house!
6) Exterior lighting.
This is talking about all lighting from landscape lighting, to
motion-detection lighting to regular lighting fixtures be the front door. This highlights the house and landscaping
giving the lighting an aesthetic function, but it is also looked at as a
security feature.
5) Garage storage systems.
These are important, especially if there is not a shed on the
property. There is an abundance of these
systems that have paneling and storage built that can easily be built into the
walls. Buyers are looking for ways to
store things and be organized.
4) Ceiling fans. This
one is a little surprising to me, but its also great news for sellers. Ceiling fans are a relatively inexpensive
upgrade to make to your house and they could help with your heating and cooling
costs.
3) A patio. Patios
are very appealing to home-buyers.
Features like firepits and built-in seating or cooking areas are appealing
for a couple of reasons. These features look
amazing, but a patio also adds to the living space of the house, making it feel
larger.
2) Energy efficient
appliances and windows are sought-after features for home-buyers today. This makes sense to me. Buyers who are purchasing a house are
spending a lot of money, quite possibly the most they have ever spent on a
single purchase. They want appliances
that will run well and cost less to run.
Newer energy efficient windows are also appealing to buyers because they
will save money on heating and cooling and replacing windows can be a large
expense that a new home-owner does not want to think about for a while.
1) A dedicated laundry room is the number one feature buyers
want in a home this year. Buyers like
the idea of a laundry room with enough room for a utility sink and some added
storage. Apparently, this set-up will
make buyers want to fold their laundry right after its done washing and
drying! Maybe I need to upgrade my
laundry room!!
I hope you found this list helpful. Let me know what you think is the most-wanted
feature for buyers!