Spring has sprung folks, and house hunting season is on for your dream home. In order to get a feel for what people are looking for in their next homes, Realtor.com consulted readers to find out what their must-haves are.”The insights from our most recent consumer survey provide a glimpse into what buyers are looking at today,” said Sarah Staley, housing expert for realtor.com. These insights can help guide potential sellers in deciding which rooms or features to invest in before listing their homes.”
According to Realtor.com’s research, the most-searched home features are: large backyards, garages, and updated kitchens. The survey also pointed out that more than half of home buyers are looking for a three-bedroom home, with at least two bathrooms. Sounds fair, right?
Here are some other features the survey noted.
Ranch style home in Mebane, NC
- Home style: 42% of home seekers indicated they liked ranch style homes best. Coming in second place is a contemporary home style.
- Favorite room: the clear winner? The kitchen. 80% of home seekers and buyers chose the kitchen as their number one favorite room, followed by a master bedroom or living room.
- Top goal in home search: privacy. This “goal” topped other home search goals such as investment or finances and family needs.
- House hunting motivation: millennials described their biggest motivator in buying a home is a major life event. These events include marriage and family planning.
Now, it can seem like this survey is very broad. It is! The survey doesn’t consider location, and it doesn’t specify what a “ranch” style home is. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t beneficial. Surveys such as this benefit builders who can create construction plans based on what the home buying demographic wants. It’s important to remember each market has its own wants and needs, which is where a real estate professional can come in.
Working with a local real estate professional can help you shop for the house of your dreams. One of the most exciting things about going shopping is getting exactly what you want. Whether it’s food shopping, clothing shopping, or house shopping, everyone should have a “wish-list” that helps them find and get exactly what they want. A house hunting wish list is no different!
Consider This
One of the best ways to begin cultivating the house-hunting wish list of your dreams is to consider your current living situation. What’s missing from it? What would you like to update, renovate, improve, or include? Do you love the master bedroom, but wish there was better storage elsewhere in the house? Are your neighbors waving at you from their kitchen to yours? You might have noticed there’s never enough parking room for you or your guests.
Create Your Wish List
Taking a moment to consider your current living situation and what you’d like to improve is an efficient and effective way to ensure your next home, town-home, apartment or otherwise suits your needs. Assess your needs with our help!
General Questions to Consider
- What’s the time line of living in this new home? If you’re thinking many years down the line, it’s important to think of the life events that could happen in the meantime. Consider bedrooms, a bonus-room, yard size, and location of nearby schools.
- Is this home a fixer-upper? Can you commit to the financial investment it may require?
- How old is the home? Age is important because it takes into account energy efficiency.
- Will the neighborhood suit your lifestyle? Researching your potential neighborhood can iron out issues of noise and activity levels. You don’t want to be stuck next door to a party house if that’s not your lifestyle!
- Does the neighborhood have an HOA?
- What does your commute look like from this location? Will you need to consider public transportation?
Interior Questions to Consider
- What’s the condition and style of the kitchen? Will you need to update the appliances, take out the cabinets, or upgrade the counter-tops from granite to something new?
- What does the home’s storage look like? It’s easy to disguise lack of storage space, so be sure to feel out the storage capacity of a home to suit your needs.
- Does the home have enough bedrooms or alternative spaces to suit your family and your needs?
- Look at the floor plans; is there any in particular you like? Open floor plans, lower-level master suites, and other amenities can be part of your wishlist.
- If you like to have visitors or guests, is there enough space for them? Number of bathrooms should definitely be on your list of considerations.
- How much work will the interior need? Can you afford to put in new carpets or floors and update featureS?
Exterior Questions to Consider
- Does the garage have enough parking space? Do you need a garage? Will there be enough parking for guests and visitors? This is important to consider because some neighborhoods are sticky about where cars are parked.
- Does the property have a pool or a hot tub? If no, is this a feature you’ll want to implement eventually, and is there enough space?
- Do you garden? Yard preferences are important to consider for upkeep and landscaping. Yards that need heavy maintenance can be stressful.
- Is the yard fenced in? Is there enough space for Fido to run and play? Considering yard and lot size in your house hunting efforts is important.
We’re Here to Help!
Having trouble creating your house hunting wish list? Our combined years of experience can help us help you envision the home of your dreams. At Real Estate Experts, we’re ready to help you assess your house hunting needs and provide listings fresh on the market to help you get a feel for the local real estate market. The MLS allows us to create individualized, custom searches for home buyers.
Take a look at our property search tools to help you get an idea of what homes are listed in your area.
We commit to providing our clients the best experience buying or selling homes. We want the process to be smooth for everyone involved. If you’re interested in buying or selling a home in the Triangle area, give us a call anytime at 919-813-6449 or send us an email to [email protected].