Here are the top trending features buyer are seeking in the next home. How does your home stack up?
A Basement Refinish
As prices of homes continue to increase, buyers are looking for the best use of all spaces. Basements are being refinished to create home theaters, game rooms, and exercise room. The search term “basement golf simulator” is one of the biggest upticks among home improvement-related searches.
Rooftop Lounging
As homeowners look up to expand their spaces, mostly in urban areas, “rooftop deck” and “rooftop patio” searches have increased by 90%.
Bathroom Accessibility
The biggest trend in bathroom renovations is accessible features that enable owners to live in their homes longer as they age. Searches for “age-in-place bathrooms” and “handicap-accessible bathrooms” more than doubled over last year. This includes features like handheld shower heads, ADA-compliant bathroom vanities and curbless showers.
Industrial-Style Kitchens
More homeowners are showing a desire to swap out their pristine, all-white kitchens for something a little more rugged. “Industrial kitchens” are generating greater interest particularly for features like “kitchen track lighting,” “pull-down kitchen faucets”, “stainless steel countertops” and a “brick kitchen wall.” There is also a growing interest for “concrete countertops” and “copper kitchen backsplashes” that fit within this style.
The Entertainment Kitchen
Over half of renovating homeowners say they’re designing their kitchens for entertaining.
Searches over the past year have grown for “open-concept kitchen to family room” and “island cooktop and ranges.” These features allow hosts to prepare a meal as they engage their guests. Searches also have doubled for a “walk-in kitchen pantry,” with a space to not only tuck away kitchen goods but also hide toasters, coffee makers and other smaller appliances.
Carving Out Some Division
Open-concept design is popular in the kitchen, but homeowners still desire some privacy. There has been an uptick in interest in design elements that create temporary separation like a “living room divider,” “Shoji screen” or “partition wall.”
Painted Ceilings
The fifth wall is becoming the new place for an accent wall. Paint and texture are dressing up more ceilings. The trends report shows searches have spiked over the past year for “high-gloss ceilings,” “painted ceilings” and “black ceilings.” “Tongue-and- groove ceilings”—which are wooden planks that fit side to side across a ceiling—are also up significantly, with searches growing by 73% over the past year.
A Historical Revival
Classic architectural elements are being mixed in with contemporary ones. Notably, search trends are up for features commonly associated with Colonial and Spanish Colonial styles. For example, homeowners are searching for Colonial design elements like “front porches” and “formal living rooms” as well as “Spanish Colonial exteriors.” Homeowners are hiring architects and designers to help them honor the roots of their homes, while updating them with a cohesive, intentional look”.
Enhancing Outdoor Style
Homeowners are making the most of their outdoor space and aren’t letting limited size shrink their plans. Searches for “small swimming pool,” “small plunge pool,” “small pool house” and “small screened-in porch ideas” grew over the past year. And searches for “small outdoor kitchens” have more than doubled over the past year.