Many aspects of the real estate market constantly change. Home prices will fluctuate, and residential areas will grow and shrink. Buyers’ expectations will also vary, depending on their lifestyle.
It’s hard to know what a buyer likes and dislikes in a home before they start walking through a few open houses. Browsing through online photos and seeing a place in person are two very different things, but you can generally work with a few popular features.
Read on to learn six things buyers want in a new home and six things they don’t. They’ll provide a general outline of features you should look for in listings and give the buyer some options
What They Want
Every buyer will have slightly different expectations for their future home, but there are a few similarities many of them share. Check out these popular things most people want in a new home and consider if they’re a good fit for the buyer you have in mind.
1. Updated Kitchen Appliances
When a buyer tours a new home, they get their first impression as they drive onto the property. Once they’ve decided they like the outside of the house, many people head to the kitchen to see what they will discover. Old appliances turn away most people because they don’t want to be responsible for replacing them. Make sure to offer homes that have updated appliances so your buyer doesn’t have to worry about future repairs.
2. A Few Additional Bedrooms
Even if a buyer wants a house so they can live on their own, they’ll probably walk through an open house and think about their future. It’s their responsibility to weigh their financial options, but people often buy homes with a few additional bedrooms. The extra space gives them room to grow their family, rent out space or add a roommate.
3. Easy and Available Accessibility
People who live with a loss of mobility look for homes that don’t present architectural challenges. If they view houses that lack easy and available accessibility, they’ll look elsewhere. Encourage potential property owners to improve their home’s accessibility to widen their market and match them with the right buyer.
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4. A Dedicated Laundry Room
Laundry closets in the past, but now people realize the benefits of a room dedicated to their machines. They want separate rooms off the main living area that include shelving and storage options around the washer and dryer units.
5. Plenty of Ceiling Fans
Ceiling fans save homeowners money by cooling down rooms when the owner doesn’t want to overwork their AC unit. The more ceiling fans a home has, the more attractive it’ll be to potential buyers.
6. Garage Storage Space
Garages that have a closet or two, shelving and even ceiling racks will jump to the front of a potential buyer’s mind. There isn’t much use there without storage solutions, and most people don’t want to remodel their garage right after they move in.
What They Don’t Want
Some buyers might know what they want from a home but haven’t spent time thinking about what they don’t want. Here are some things people tend to avoid.
1. Bold Paint Colors
Kids’ bedrooms painted in neon pink or an office space in forest green may have been the previous owner’s style, but bold paint colors won’t please most buyers. They want homes in neutral tones for easy personalization and decorating later.
2. Dated Popcorn Ceilings
Popcorn ceilings have been out of style for many years, so most buyers will turn away from homes that have them. It’s something easily replaced but presents extra work for the future owners to cover financially.
3. Household Residual Odors
Odors from pets or cigarettes stick around even after professionals replace carpeting. Encourage clients selling their homes to get rid of these odors with simple solutions to attract more buyers.
4. Unnecessary Half-Baths
Sometimes homes have extra half-baths that are too small or outdated to use. Most buyers don’t want bathrooms like these because they could use the space for something more practical, like closets.
5. Accented or Bold Wallpaper
Contemporary wallpaper patterns are slowly coming back in style, but some homes may still have older designs. Wallpaper is difficult to get off the wall unless the buyer hires a professional, which isn’t something most people want to do.
6. Pest Control Issues
Every home has to go through an inspection before someone buys it, but some still end up with pest-control issues. Ants, roaches and spiders should be taken care of before a house is open to buyers.
Discuss Before Touring
Before your clients visit open houses, discuss what they want and don’t want in their future home. Go over this information with them to get the conversation started and use their opinions to craft their homebuying experience.
About the Author: Kacey Bradley is the blogger behind The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Along with writing for her blog, she has written for sites like U.S. News, Hotel Online, SevenRooms, Point 2 Home and more! Follow Kacey on Twitter and subscribe to her blog to keep up with her travels and inspiring posts!
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