Reworking market Fixr’s 2024 residence design survey revealed homebuyers are prioritizing group and energy-saving options, alongside open and hybrid ground plans.
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Though all-white cabinetry, speckled granite counter tops and subway tiles have fallen from grace, there’s one factor right this moment’s homebuyers can’t get sufficient of: kitchen islands.
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In reworking market Fixr’s 2024 residence design survey, 61 % of homebuilding and reworking specialists mentioned kitchen islands are homebuyers’ most-requested characteristic, adopted by walk-in pantries (43 %), laundry rooms (31 %), patios (30 %), hardwood flooring (28 %) and multi-zone HVAC methods (28 %).
Full bogs on the primary degree, photo voltaic panels and landscaping, and Vitality Star home windows rounded out the highest 10, with a fourth of specialists saying these options made a house extra fascinating. The survey didn’t talk about the return on funding of those options; nevertheless, a 2019 Zillow examine mentioned minor kitchen updates — reminiscent of putting in a brand new island — present an ROI of 81.1 %.
“A kitchen island has many perks, improving both the look and usefulness of your kitchen, as well as allowing bar seating,” the Fixr survey learn. “It gives you extra countertop space for cooking and prepping meals, making things more efficient and organized.”
“Plus, with built-in storage options, an island helps keep your kitchen tidy by providing additional cabinets and drawers,” it added. “This makes sense considering 83 percent of experts said storage was the biggest kitchen priority in 2024.”
After kitchen islands, walk-in pantries are the second most coveted characteristic as they preserve over-counter cabinets from turning into cluttered and provide extra meals space for storing.
“Continuing the theme of storage as a must, walk-in pantries are set to impress home buyers when looking around a potential new home this year,” the survey defined. “With its spacious design, a walk-in pantry helps reduce clutter by providing plenty of shelves and storage options. It gives you ample space to store food and kitchen supplies, keeping everything neat and easily accessible.”
Past options that maximize storage and group, reminiscent of a devoted laundry room and totally lined patio, professionals mentioned consumers need energy-saving options that scale back utility prices. The highest eco-friendly characteristic homebuyers need is a multi-zone HVAC system, which allows homebuyers to set separate temperatures for every a part of their residence.
“It allows for precise temperature control in different areas or rooms, ensuring everyone stays comfortable. By only heating or cooling the spaces in use, a multi-zone system can reduce energy consumption and lower utility bills,” the survey learn. “A multi-zone HVAC system enhances overall climate control, making your living environment more pleasant year-round.”
Past storage and vitality administration, Fixr’s survey respondents mentioned homebuyers nonetheless favor open ground plans (53 %). Hybrid ground plans (47 %) are gaining traction as properly since they offer consumers entry to the movement of an open ground plan with a number of devoted closed areas.
“Hybrid floor plans are great, as you get the benefit of open space (larger rooms, connectedness), but also the opportunity to provide for quieter moments, perhaps with a separate dining room or TV room that has doors,” Lewis Schoeplein Architects Principal Toni Lewis informed Fixr. “This seems to be where many families have landed on the ‘ideal’ floor plan.”