What Sells?

What do buyers look for?

When asked to choose between a bigger house with fewer amenities or a smaller house with high quality products and amenities, 63 percent of the home owners surveyed by NAHB opted for the latter.

To pay for those quality features, 57 percent said they preferred for them to be included in the base price of the home; while 43 percent wanted them to be offered as options at extra cost. "One particular consumer trend stands out… while homes do not appear to be getting bigger, they are definitely getting better. There is a marked increase in quality, with updated features and amenities," said Jerry Howard, executive vice president and CEO of NAHB.

The households who were surveyed indicated enthusiasm for just about every upscale feature available, Howard said, but became more realistic in their views when they were asked to choose among alternatives.

Among several other observations on what people want in their new homes: The top features homeowners want in the kitchen are:

• walk-in pantry (84 percent),
• island work area (77 percent),
• special use storage (62 percent)
• built-in microwave (62 percent).

Thirty-seven percent said they wanted their kitchens visually open to the family room, with a half wall; 34 percent want the two completely open.

The top bathroom features were a linen closet (91 percent), exhaust fan (88 percent) and separate shower enclosure (78 percent).

Nine-foot ceilings are now a standard height, up from eight feet previously. "Consumers say it provides more openness, more light and makes the home feel bigger," said Howard.

Younger households prefer their washer and dryer to be located near the bedroom; older households prefer them near the kitchen.

Brick was preferred by 44 percent of respondents as the front exterior wall material for their homes.

Asked to choose between more space in the master bedroom and less in the master bath or the opposite, 69 percent chose more bedroom space. "Some of the master baths have been getting bigger than the bedrooms themselves," Howard said.

After growing steadily since 1970, the average home size leveled off during the past three years and stood at 2,340 square feet in 2004. This is close to the 2,426 square feet that homeowners said they would like to have, according to Howard.

Looking at trends for the next five years, he predicted growing popularity for low-maintenance, natural materials; synthetic stucco; energy efficiency; and security on the outside of the home.

Inside, open space, quality features, technology and special purpose rooms are on the upswing.

An emerging trend in the higher end market is the advent of a "flex" room or "bonus" room situated above three-car garages. "These rooms can be over 1,000 square feet and include a full-bath. We are finding that home owners are using them for a variety of purposes - as an in-law suite, a guest room, home office or media room," said Howard.

Source: National Association Of Home Builders