What sells a house information, coupled with keywords and preferred design styles, qualifies as essential information for buyers and sellers alike that find themselves in today’s housing market.
Updated for striking while the housing market iron is hot sake, the purpose of this post is to provide relevant, useful and informative information.
A quick walk around our neighborhood confirms what those in the real estate biz know; the market is flush with houses listed for sale, and said houses are indeed selling.
In the last three weeks, four houses on the street next to ours hit the market.
Under contract and/or sold signs pop up in no time, and as of this past Sunday three of the four houses are being moved into.
The online real-estate marketplace Point2Homes conducted an in depth study of listing keywords most used in the real estate listings market.
Once considered a bonus luxury, multi function outdoor living spaces have moved into the must have outdoor home feature column.
Top used keywords in listing descriptions throughout the entire database of listings, price points, and the 65 million words analyzed in the study come should come as no surprise.
Home
Room
Bedroom
Bath
Flooring
Kitchen
New
Covered patio
The National Association of Home Builders report, What Home Buyers Really Want, shows a walk-in pantry as the most desired feature by prospective first-and second-time home owners, with 91% of buyers choosing separate laundry room as the top amenity.
Humphrey Munson – Photo by Paul Craig
In the Domino feature, How to Pull Off Faux Laundry Room Built-Ins for Less Than $400, DIY blogger Ursula Carmona shows us how she takes her laundry room from outdated to updated chic.
In regards to the features and amenities you seek, decide early on in the process what is a deal maker and what is a deal breaker and go from there.
House & Garden – Photo by Michael Sinclair
A design to function trade off may be one you’ll be required to make.
If the property has no walk- in pantry, but offers plenty of cabinets and perhaps a pantry closet to accommodate the need, consider incorporating a piece of furniture such as this European wardrobe into the kitchen or space adjacent to satisfy the need vs. want portion of the home buyers show.
European Painted Wardrobe with Egg and Dart Cornice
Money well spent on the primary spaces and places in the home produces a huge return.
Home improvement is just that- home improvement.
It is not difficult to discern what features and design styles are in demand, trending, and able to be implemented at a project and budget level you are comfortable with.
I find the results of the dream wedding vs. dream home down payment report conducted by Homes.com a very enlightening read.
The price point the report works with is a $20,000.00 wedding.
Projected cost per couple for a 2021 wedding comes in at $22,500.
When you compare that to the average home down payment of 6% with a national median home price of $346,800, the math is in the neighborhood of $21,000.
Results of the dream wedding vs. dream home down payment report showed out of the 1,200 people surveyed, 81% would rather put money toward a down payment instead of an all the bells and whistles wedding celebration.
Reception venues can be an expensive part of the wedding ceremony after party plan, costing $10 -11,000.00 or even more in most cases.
That’s a lot of cheddar for a few hours of party fun.
Now price compare that to the addition of a nice-stylish-high performance kitchen island that is a great choice of utilize now/resale value later feature to go with.
Consider the fee of a wedding planner (approximately $1500.00).
Now consider that the price of a kitchen backsplash will run you about the same amount of money.
Better Homes & Gardens – Photo by Edmund Barr
Listed below is a sampling of the features and amenities used by agents over the last couple of years that remain applicable in the current market.
Granite countertops
Hardwood floors
Open floor plan
Fenced backyard
Covered patio
Natural light
Top Searched Interior Design Styles in the U.S. for 2020:
Modern Farmhouse rates popular in Arkansas, District of Columbia, Idaho, Maine, Montana and South Dakota.
I certainly can see why if it’s based on this stunning design and interior by Lococo Architecture that gorgeously answers yes to the question, “does the modern farmhouse decor style have staying power?”
Domino – Photography by Nathan Kirkman & Anna Knott
Cottagecore is in the top position in popularity in Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Vintage art
Delicate tones
Crocheted and lace accessories
Romantic ambiance
The popularity of the cottagecore aesthetic thrives during these pandemic stay-at-home times as cozy has become a pampering priority.
French Country is the top trend in New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Industrial places first in top search interior design styles in Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Nevada.
On-trend decorating styles
Specific features
Must-have amenities
Bear in mind what sells a house information, keywords, and decorating trends serve as a barometer of the features and styles we’re most in the market for.
Key to entering into the buying and/or selling process is an informed understanding of current housing market trends along with what’s hot in design and decorating style demand.
Corinthian Columns
Spanish Colonial
St. John’s Episcopal Church – Washington, Louisiana
Beauty does not always strike a pristine pose. This abandoned abode on a shaded street in a small Southern town piqued my interest, struck an architectural chord and became the subject of a subjective experience. 
It was a biscuit and cornbread kind of evening.