Almost all home buyers, 91%, want a laundry room included in their home, more than any other home feature, says NAHB’s 2019 edition of What Home Buyers Really Want report. The survey asks recent and prospective home buyers to rank features using a four-tier scale of essential/must have, desirable, indifferent, and do not want. Of the 91% of respondents who want a laundry room, 54% consider it an essential/must have, the highest-ranked feature in the category, and 37% rank them desirable.
After a laundry room, the most wanted feature is ENERGY STAR windows, with 89 percent of home buyers rating it as essential/must have or desirable. It is important to note that two other ENERGY STAR-related features make the top ten list: ENERGY STAR appliances was rated essential/must have or desirable by 86 percent of home buyers and an ENERGY STAR rating for the whole home was rated essential/must have or desirable by 81 percent. The fact that these features made the top ten list indicates that energy efficiency is very important to home buyers.
Two other features on the top ten list are outdoor: 87 percent of home buyers want a patio and 85 percent want exterior lighting. Another theme present is the desire for spaces with organizational functionality: 85 percent view garage storage as essential/must have or desirable while 83 percent feel the same way about walk-in pantries. The other most wanted items include a ceiling fan (with an essential/desirable share of 85 percent), hardwood flooring (83 percent), and a double sink in the kitchen (81 percent).
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