What Does 21st Century Homebuyer Want

National Association of Home Builders’s consumer survey, "What 21st Century Home Buyers Want," takes a comprehensive look at what’s hot and what’s not among prospective home buyers.

Following is a summary of the survey results:

Buyers of new homes want larger houses with lots of space. They especially prefer large kitchens adjacent to family rooms and want the two rooms to be visually open or divided with a half wall.

They want upscale features like high ceilings and island work areas in the kitchen.

They are also very interested in exterior features such as a front porch, deck or patio in the rear, and exterior lighting.

Laundry rooms and dining rooms are widely considered to be essential in new homes.

Some of the features that average home buyers want today used to be considered optional and were standard only in upscale luxury homes. Today, the difference between average homes and upscale/luxury homes is that upscale homes are larger, with top-of-the-line equipment and materials.

The study found that some features of new homes have improved to the point where consumers are generally satisfied. For example, while consumers want large kitchens, most are reluctant to see the kitchen expand further at the expense of other spaces. The number of bathrooms that is typical of homes being built today is sufficient for most home buyers.

Continuing a trend identified in previous NAHB studies, many home buyers do not think it is necessary to have a separate living room.

The median size of respondents’ current homes was 1,770 square feet; they preferred 2,071 square feet for a new home.

The homes that shoppers want are not significantly larger than most of the new homes currently being sold.

When it comes to ceilings, two out of three respondents prefer nine-foot or higher ceilings on the first floor. Almost 40% prefer nine-foot or higher ceilings on the second floor.

Nearly 40% of the respondents said they would like a minimum of four bedrooms; 49% would accept three bedrooms. More than a third of new, single-family homes completed in 2002 had four or more bedrooms, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

One-fourth of respondents said that they wanted at least a three-car garage, even considering the extra cost. The majority of respondents (54%) would settle for a two-car garage.

Of 18 different kitchen features, a walk-in pantry topped the list, with 78% of respondents rating it as desirable or essential. After a walk-in pantry, respondents most favored island work areas (71%) and light wood cabinets (5 9%).

A linen closet topped the list of desired bathroom features, with 88% of the respondents categorizing it as essential or desirable. Other desirable features included an exhaust fan (86%) separate shower enclosure (69%), water temperature control (67%), a whirlpool tub (58%) ceramic tile walls (55%) and a dressing room/make-up area (52%).

Regarding extra rooms for convenience and luxury, 92% of respondents wanted a laundry room, 79% wanted a dining room, 58% wanted a home office, 54% wanted a den/library, and 46% wanted a sunroom. Media rooms (28%) and exercise rooms (29%) were not as popular.

The people surveyed were frequently concerned about storage space, with only about one-third rating general storage space as adequate.

Respondents were divided over whether they would prefer a larger home with fewer amenities or a smaller home with high quality products and amenities. Fifty-one percent opted for a larger home, and 49% for a smaller house with high quality products and amenities.

Most respondents strongly preferred one master bedroom suite and three standard bedrooms over two master suites with only one other bedroom.

Respondents were divided over the question of whether the master bedroom should be on the first floor or second floor. Fifty-two percent opted for a master bedroom on the first floor and 48% opted for a second floor location.

Home shoppers were divided over the preferred location for their clothes washer and dryer, with 26% preferring a location near the bedrooms, 26% near the kitchen, 23% in the basement and 10% in the garage.

While respondents said they were willing to pay for their favorite amenities, they were willing to pay a median of only $5,000 up-front in the purchase price of their next home to save $1,000 every year in utility costs.

Moreover, few of the respondents were willing to pay extra for a home built in a more environmentally friendly way.

Among 22 community amenities, park areas and walking/jogging trails were the top rated amenities with 62% and 58% of the respondents, respectively, saying that these features would have an influence on their purchase.

Source: NAHB, What 21st Century Home Buyers Want.