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Top Home Features That Today’s Home Buyers Want

Top Home Features That Today’s Home Buyers Want

One of the most rewarding aspectsof owning a home is the ability toadd or remove home featuresthrough home improvement projectsor remodeling projects. There aremany home improvement projectsthat can have a positive impact on ahomes value as well as many homeimprovement projects that should beavoided due to the possibility ofnegatively impacting the homesvalue or the homes desirability.

There are certain home features thattoday’s home buyer wants and iswilling to pay top dollar to obtain. Even though some home buyers willpay top dollar for certain homefeatures, one of the biggestchallenges that is faced when sellinga home is dealing with unrealistichome buyers. Some home buyersthat are in the market to purchase ahome have a laundry list of homefeatures they want in their home butare not willing to pay for them. Thiscan obviously be very frustrating forhome owners.

A homeowner who knows what homefeatures today’s home buyers wantwill put themselves in a much betterposition when it comes time tocomplete their next homeimprovement or remodeling project. By knowing what today’s homebuyer is looking for when it comes tohome features can save a lot ofvaluable time on the open real estatemarket and can also lead to a highersale price.

So, what are some of the top home features that today’s home buyers want in a home? This article will analyze thetop home features that buyers are looking for in their new home as well as provide some excellent tips to helpimprove your home features to appeal to today’s home buyers!

Open Concept Floor Plans

The days of compartmentalized homes are gone. Most homes built prior to the early 1990’s had floor plans that werechoppy and compartmentalized. Most newly constructed homes are being built with open concept floor plans. Today’s home buyers desire a floor plan that flows seamlessly from one room to another. Due to the fact that olderhomes generally do not have open concept floor plans, many home buyers are electing to build a new home insteadof purchasing an existing home.

Why do today’s home buyers desire an open concept floor plan? Many millennial home buyers enjoy entertainingfriends and family. An open concept floor plan is a feature that allows a homeowner the ability to interact with theirguests even if they are in a different room. A compartmentalized home does not allow this. An open concept floorplan is also very popular home feature with families with young children as an open concept allows the parents theability to watch their children even if they are not in the same room or area of the home.

An open concept floor plan in some homes may not be feasible, however, in some homes can be created with thesimple removal of a wall or two. If you’re planning a remodel or home improvement, consider improving the flow ofyour floor plan since it is such a highly desired home feature with today’s home buyers.

Updated Kitchen

Most people who have any interest in real estate have heard that kitchens and baths sell homes. This is very truesince many of today’s home buyers are not interested in remodeling a kitchen or don’t have the capital to do so.

Some of today’s home buyers will elect to not even look at a home that has old counters, cabinets, or flooring. It’svery easy to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a kitchen remodel project, however, it may not be necessary toattract today’s home buyers. There are many ways to update a kitchen without breaking the piggy bank. Knowingwhat the current trends are for kitchens is extremely important to keep in mind when completing any remodel orupdate.

Low cost kitchen updates can reduce the amount of time a home takes to sell significantly and also potentiallyincrease the sale price. Low cost kitchen updates include:

Fresh Paint

Re-staining or Refinishing Kitchen Cabinetry

New Kitchen Cabinet Hardware

New Light Fixtures

New Plumbing Fixtures

New Sink

Updated Bath(s)

Just like the kitchen, the cost to update or remodel a bathroom can be very high. An updated bathroom is however,one of the most desired home features for today’s home buyers.

One of the easiest ways to make a bathroom appeal to today’s home buyers is by freshly painting the bathroom(s)with a bright and inviting color and also ensuring it is extremely clean. A very popular way sellers scare awaypotential home buyers is with dirty and grimy bathrooms. Some home buyers will choose not to buy a home becausethe bathroom is extremely dirty.

Similar to a kitchen, a bathroom remodel or update does not have to break the piggy bank to make it appealing totoday’s home buyers. There are many low cost ways to update a bath, including:

Updated Bathrooms Are A Top Home Feature That Today’s Home Buyers Want

New Vanity

New Medicine Cabinet

New Plumbing Fixtures

New Bathtub/Shower Surround

Updated Light Fixtures

Clean and Organized LinenCloset(s)

First Floor Laundry Room

Many homeowners believe thelocation of the laundry room is notrelevant when it comes time to sell ahome. The location of the laundryroom can have a major impact onhow fast a home sells and thedesirability of a home. In mosthomes there are only a handful oflocations for a laundry room. Thebasement, the first floor, and thesecond floor are the three mostcommon areas.

Today’s home buyers ultimatelyprefer the laundry room is located onthe first floor. First floor laundry is ahome feature that is extremelydesirable for older home buyers orhome buyers who may have difficultywalking up or down stairs. Most newly built homes will have afirst floor laundry room as a homefeature since it has become sopopular with today’s home buyers!

Outdoor Space

Today’s home buyers are not onlyinterested in the home features ofthe interior but also what the exterior home features are in a home. Many sellers make the mistake of not payingattention to the outdoor space of their home, which can be very costly. A very popular and relativelyinexpensive staging tip to help sell a home quicker for more money is to ensure the outdoor space is not neglected!

What are the outdoor home features that today’s home buyers desire? A few of the most popular home featuresdesired by today’s home buyers include attached decks, patios, and fenced yards. Other outdoor areas thathomeowners should pay attention to include:

Landscaping

Hardscaping

“Green Thumb” Home Features Are Highly Desired By Today’s Home Buyers

Pools

Fire pits

Balcony

Gardens

Outdoor Kitchens

Home Technologies

Many of today’s home buyers are very “tech savvy,” especially millennial home buyers. There are many homefeatures that can be added to a home that are very technologically advanced. Home technologies can help increasethe “WOW” factor of a home.

What are some of the most popular home technology home features that today’s home buyers are looking for?

Programmable thermostats, such as a Nest, which can be controlled via a smart phone, tablet, or other mobiledevice

Whole home speaker systems, such as Sonos

Key-less locks that can be accessed via Bluetooth

Timed irrigation systems

Today’s Home Buyers Want “Green Thumb” Home Features

“Going Green” is something that isseen all over the place nowadays! Today’s home buyers arealso desiring many home featuresthat could be considered as “goinggreen.” Whether it’s because ahome buyer wants to save on theirutility bills or because they areconcerned with protecting theenvironment, it’s important tounderstand what “green” homefeatures today’s home buyers arelooking for.

Energy Efficient Furnace & AirConditioning

Two of the most important featureswithin a home are a homes furnaceand a homes air conditioning, ifapplicable. First and foremost, thereare many home buyers that will notlook at a home if it does not havecentral air conditioning. Certaintypes of HVAC systems don’t allowfor central air conditioning to beinstalled, such as baseboard orradiant. If able, installing a central

air conditioning unit is a good idea asit can increase the number ofpotential home buyers who maybeinterested in the home.

A home feature that some of today’shome buyers are looking for are theefficiency levels of the furnace andair conditioning. There are severalreasons why today’s home buyersare looking for energy efficientfurnaces and air conditioning units. The primary reason is the fact thatthese home features can save abuyer significant money per monthon utility bills.

Other reasons why this homefeature is so important to today’shome buyers include:

Longer Life Expectancy

Quieter

Better For Environment

Superior Performance

Improved Health and Quality ofLife

Extra Insulation

Similar to energy efficient airconditioning units and furnaces,additional insulation can significantlyreduce utility bills, which is theprimary reason why today’s homebuyers desire this home feature. The standards of home insulationchange fairly frequently, therefore, ahome built 60 years ago is likely to have very minimal insulation in comparison to a newly built home.

In addition to the reduced utility bills, other reasons to increase insulation in a home include exterior noise reductionand a lower chance of ice damming. Ice damming can create significant damage to a home , especially in very coldclimates, such as Rochester, NY.

This past winter, while selling a home in Brighton, NY, a seller experienced significant ice damming damage to theinterior of their home. A contractor pointed out that this could have been avoided if there was additional insulationadded. As you can imagine, extra insulation is an even more desirable home feature for home buyers in colderclimates, due to the potential for ice damming damage.

Energy Efficient Appliances

Even thought energy efficient appliances are more expensive than non energy efficient appliances, they are a homefeature that many home buyers look for. An energy efficient appliance, such as a refrigerator, may cost two timesmore than a non energy efficient appliance, however, the can yield significant savings in utility bills and usage.

When shopping for appliances, keep an eye out for the “Energy Star” logo. Energy Star is a program run by theEnvironmental Protect Agency (EPA) that helps businesses and individuals save money and protect the climatethrough superior energy efficiency. Any appliance that has the Energy Star logo is likely to be very efficient and alsohighly desired by today’s buyers.

Energy efficient appliances are a very popular home feature with today’s home buyers but it’s also important to keepin mind the look of the appliance. In addition to energy efficient appliances, many of today’s home buyers are lookingfor stainless steel appliances. Stainless steel appliances are often more expensive than non stainless steelappliances, but are so highly desired that it is normally worth the additional expense.

Energy Efficient Windows

A common concern for home buyers is the efficiency and condition of a homes windows. Windows that are in poorcondition or that are inoperable are one of the most common issues found during a home inspection. The cost toreplace windows in a home can be expensive, depending on the quality and efficiency level.

Today’s home buyers will pay more for a home due to the fact it has energy efficient windows as one of the homefeatures. In extreme climates, this can be even more important than the furnace or air conditioning efficiency sincethe amount of air lost or gained through windows can be significant.

Final Thoughts

One of the best ways to make a home appeal to today’s home buyers is by knowing what home features they arelooking for. A home that has many of the above home features that buyers are looking for will sell faster than thehomes that are lacking the above home features.

While it may not make sense to remodel a kitchen for $30,000, it may make sense to tackle some of the low costprojects such as a fresh coat of paint or new hardware on the cabinets. It’s important that if you’re unsure whether ahome feature is going to help sell your home or hurt the chances of your home selling, that you consult with a toplocal real estate professional. They should be able to give you the proper advice and tips to making sure your homehas the home features that today’s home buyers want!

Other Top Home Selling Tips & Advice

How Can We Sweep A Home Buyer Off Their Feet? via Imagine Your House

10 Things To Expect From Your Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home via Rochester’s Real Estate Blog

How To Sell A Home | Top Real Estate Resources For Home Selling via Bundlr

Things Every Seller Should Know About Today’s Home Buyers via Las Vegas Luxury Home Pro

If you’re selling a home in Rochester, NY, it’s critical you understand what kind of home features today’s home buyersare looking for! If your Rochester, NY home has many of the above home features, your home should appeal to manyof the local home buyers who are in the market to purchase a home. If you’re unsure about whether you should addor remove a home feature in your Rochester, NY home, contact me, and I’d be happy to share my expertise andopinion with you.

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About the authors: The above article “Top Home Features That Today’s Home Buyers Want” was provided by theKeith Hiscock Sold Team (Keith & Kyle Hiscock). With over 30 years combined experience, if you’re thinkingof selling or buying, we’d love to share our knowledge and expertise.

We service the following Greater Rochester NY areas: Irondequoit, Webster, Penfield, Pittsford, Fairport, Brighton,Greece, Gates, Hilton, Brockport, Mendon, Henrietta, Perinton, Churchville, Scottsville, East Rochester, Rush,Honeoye Falls, Chili, and Victor NY.

Visit our website at www.HiscockHomes.com.

© 2015, Kyle Hiscock. All rights reserved.