As the world scrambles to get everything back to normal, the housing market and its key players are no exception. Homebuyers and sellers alike are thinking up ways to find the best prices, locations, and features. As a seller, you’d want your home to be something buyers would go after and not kick to the curb after a tour.
Watching the demand for residential properties surge may look like a good time to put a property up for sale, but how will you make sure that you close a deal that meets your and the buyers’ expectations?
Who are today’s buyers?
Homebuyers in the market for a new home are looking for adequate space and good locations. Good locations are the right mix of safe, convenient, entertaining, and marketable. You should know that buyers will also be sellers in the future. This makes a location’s potential to grow and increase the value of properties an essential part of today’s homebuyers’ decision-making.
Moreover, these buyers are also making an effort to transition from renting to owning properties. They want to build their equity, along with starting their own families. But take their initiative to stop renting with a grain of salt when it comes to your home’s marketability.
Many people looking for new homes don’t mean that your home will fly off the market at the price you want right away. You’d still have to meet expectations, find the right buyer, and find the right prices.
What are their expectations?
Buyers are all different. Some look for small but comfortable homes. Some look for ideal locations. Others look for an ideal home to build a swimming pool on and many others. It’s impossible to hit all the birds with one stone, but you can try to hit the easy targets.
Here are home features most homebuyers look for in homes:
1. Laundry Rooms
Homebuyers of today don’t want to turn their guest bedrooms into laundry rooms. Mainly because that room isn’t meant for any other purposes and because they want a comfortable space to do their laundry.
The National Association of Home Builders listed laundry rooms as the most-wanted features by looking for a new dwelling place. If your home has a separate space for washing, drying, folding, and ironing clothes, its selling potential increases.
Laundry rooms keep the mess out of spaces where dirty laundry shouldn’t be. They keep you focused on finishing the specific chores associated with them.
If your home still doesn’t have a laundry room, you can opt to turn your basement—the easiest—into one. Your basement already has the utility lines required to run laundry appliances, and depending on the size of your basement, it should be enough for good laundry space.
2. Patios
Another home feature adhering to today’s homebuyers’ desire for space is patios. While most backyards have gardens or swimming pools, these buyers don’t find them as appealing as they used to be.
Patios are separate spaces meant for relaxation and semi-outdoor activities. This space gives people the chance to relax within their homes’ confines without actually being inside, which can feel stuffy at times.
87 percent of homebuyers want to see them in homes as they scout. It’s going to be a good opportunity to keep your patio maintained as you list your property for sale and take in potential buyers for tours.
3. Hardwood Floors
What 83 percent of homebuyers are looking for in new homes are hardwood floors. They look clean, are easy to maintain, and are more durable than carpets by a mile. Carpets need to be replaced every eight to 10 years, more often depending on maintenance, but hardwood can be refinished based on how the homeowners want them.
While hardwood floorings aren’t cheap themselves, there are other options to achieve the durability and look of real wood. If you’re on a budget, you can use engineered wood flooring. They’re hardwood veneers wrapped around layers of hardwood, fiberboard, and plywood. Engineered wood can be finished based on preferences and lasts as long as legitimate hardwood floors.
Takeaway
As a home seller, you must keep in mind that you won’t be able to meet every homebuyer’s expectation except maybe if you’re selling multiple homes. But all in all, meeting expectations boils down to communicating with the right buyers while setting expectations both you and the buyer can meet.
Besides improving your property, you should also work with the right real estate agent who can find the buyers with expectations you can meet.
