This article originally appeared on Porch.com
Intricate bathroom tile, a bold statement door, exposed shelving in the kitchen, a fully furnished patio. If asked, could you tell which design choices are more likely to help sell your home and which could keep buyers at bay? Just because you’ve seen something trending on Pinterest—or even on a popular TV show—doesn’t mean all features are smart for your home. In fact, overly stylized decor, outdated rooms, and a lack of space could prevent you from getting a return on your investment.
Before you spend too much time (or money) upgrading parts of your home that will never pay you back, let’s take a closer look at what over 980 homeowners had to say about their most-wanted home features. Read on as we explore what homebuyers desire most, how much they’re willing to pay for these upgrades and the features that may lead to arguments among couples.
Top priority
New construction homes have followed a similar pattern for years: more square footage on smaller lots. Even as the average family size continues to shrink, people looking at new homes may find bigger floor plans (with extra bathrooms and a lot of closet space) but virtually no yard or outdoor space.
But just because newer homes don’t offer a lot of yard space doesn’t mean people aren’t looking for a house where they can spend time outdoors. The back porch or deck (nearly 34 percent) was the feature Americans wanted most in their home. In fact, experts say homeowners are increasingly more likely to sacrifice the size of their homes if it means having access to outdoor space.
Homeowners also identified a newly renovated kitchen (about 31 percent), hardwood flooring (over 30 percent), and a finished garage (nearly 26 percent) as the top items on their dream home bucket list. And while open floor plans might be all the rage among trendy TV designers, these larger living spaces were the most popular among older generations. Baby boomers were 31 percent more likely to prefer an open floor plan compared to millennials and 49 percent more likely to prefer this layout than Gen Xers.
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