10 Must -Have Features in New Homes

In the Styled Staged and Sold website, Melissa Dittmann Tracey writes that a survey was done on home buyer preferences and found the following hot home features that reign supreme in today's market:

1. Large kitchens with an island.


2. Energy-efficient appliances and high-efficiency insulation and windows. (These were the most sought-after “green” features from buyers.)

3. Home office or study

4. Main-floor master suite

5. Outdoor living room

6. Ceiling fans

7. Master suite soaker tubs and oversize showers with seating areas

8. Stone and brick exteriors

9. Community landscaping with walking paths and playgrounds.

10. Two-car garages

Now, we in Hollywood Park, for the most part, live in homes that are not new.  So why do we care about what buyers seek in a new home?  Because, someday we are going to want to sell our Hollywood Park homes and those same features will help us compete with the newer homes at that time.  So if you're thinking of spending money to update or remodel, wouldn't it make sense to incorporate some of these desired trends?

We actually compare pretty well with our stone & brick exteriors, our two car garages, and master suites being on the first floor (since the majority of our homes are one story!).  But where we often fall short is not having updated our windows and appliances, nor enlarged our often small kitchens.  Sure, those are the "big-ticket" items, but they are often the difference in a buyer's decision to purchase or not to purchase. 

We don't want to invest the money to enlarge or update, but neither do the buyers, unless they can buy cheap.  The homes that have had the updates sell higher and usually faster than those that have not updated.  And if you don't wait until you're ready to sell to do the work, you will actually enjoy those updates yourselves!