Top Home Features
What are the Top Home Features Buyers Are Looking For?
Does your home have the top home features homebuyers want? There’s great opportunity for today’s homeowners to sell their houses and make a move, yet due to the impact of the ongoing health crisis, some sellers are taking their time coming back to the market. According to Javier Vivas, Director of Economic Research at realtor.com:
“Sellers continue returning to the market at a cautious pace and further improvement could be constrained by lingering coronavirus concerns, economic uncertainty, and civil unrest.”
For homeowners who need a little nudge of motivation to get back in the game, it’s good to know that buyers are ready to purchase this season. After spending several months at home and re-evaluating what they truly want and need in their space, buyers are ready and they’re in the market now. Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at the National Association of Realtors (NAR) explains:
“A number of potential buyers noted stalled plans due to the pandemic and that has led to more urgency and a pent-up demand to buy…After being home for months on end – in a home they already wanted to leave – buyers are reminded how much their current home may lack certain desired features or amenities.”
The latest Market Recovery Survey from NAR shares some of the features and amenities buyers are looking for, especially since the health crisis has shifted many buyer priorities. The most common home features cited as increasingly important are home offices and space to accommodate family members new to the residence (See graph below):
Top Home Features Home Buyers Want
Home office
- Space to accommodate family
- Larger house for more personal space
- Yard for growing fruits and vegetables
- Yard for exercise
- Broadband internet access
- Bigger kitchens
- Acreage
- Swimming pool
The survey results also show that among buyers who indicate they would now like to live in a different area due to the health crisis, 47% have an interest in purchasing in the suburbs, 39% cite rural areas, and 25% indicate a desire to be in small towns.
As we can see, buyers are eager to find a new home, but there’s a big challenge in the market: a lack of homes available to purchase. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com explains:
“The realtor.com June Housing Trends Report showed that buyers still outnumber sellers which is causing the gap in time on market to shrink, prices to grow at a faster pace than pre-COVID, and the number of homes available for sale to decrease by more than last month. These trends play out similarly in the most recent week’s data with the change in time on market being most notable. In the most recent week homes sat on the market just 7 days longer than last year whereas the rest of June saw homes sit 2 weeks or more longer than last year.”
In essence, home sales are picking up speed and buyers are purchasing them at a faster rate than they’re coming to the market. Hale continues to say:
“The housing market has plenty of buyers who would benefit from a few more sellers. If the virus can be contained and home prices continue to grow, this may help bring sellers back to the housing market.”
So, if you’re considering selling and your current house has some of the features today’s buyers are looking for, let’s connect. You’ll likely be able to sell at the best price, in the least amount of time, and will be able to take advantage of the low interest rates available right now when buying your new home.
Selling Your Naples Luxury Home? Work with a Naples Real Estate Expert
In today’s rapidly changing market, it’s critical to make sure you have a digital game plan and an effective online marketing strategy when selling your home, especially if you are selling a luxury home. One of the ways your agent can help with this is to make sure your listing photos and virtual tours stand out from the crowd, truly giving buyers a detailed and thorough view of your home.
More than 95% of buyers start their property search on-line. In today’s rapidly changing market, it’s critical to make sure you have a digital game plan and an effective online marketing strategy when selling your home.
So, whether you are ready to sell now or in the future, contact me today to learn how a strong virtual presence will work for you. As we adjust to our current environment, we know exactly what today’s buyers need, and how to put the necessary digital steps in place. For example, according to the same survey, when asked to select what technology would be most helpful when deciding on a new home, here’s what today’s homebuyers said, in order of preference:
- Virtual tour of the home
- Accurate and detailed listing information
- Detailed neighborhood information
- High-quality listing photos
- Agent-led video chat
- Paperless transactions
So, if you are contemplating selling a home in Bonita Springs, Estero, Naples or Fort Myers, we encourage you to work with a Professional Real Estate Agent or REALTOR® who has the experience and knowledge to provide an accurate market comparison so you can determine the right asking price.
Now more than ever, an agents presence on the internet is critical to selling your home. Let’s connect to talk about how we would leverage new real estate technology such as virtual tours and high end photography, e-mail marketing, social media marketing and much more.
Finally, if you live in a golf community in southwest Florida, you are competing with more than 150 other golf communities. Contact us today to learn how your home or condo stacks up against the competition and how we can position your property to sell quickly and for a fair price.
Should I Use a Realtor or Sell on My Own?
Contact Matt: Matt@NaplesGolfGuy.com
July 16th, 2020, Posted by NaplesGolfGuy