The Top 10 Features for New Homes

The outdoor kitchen and two-story foyers are starting to lose favor among new home shoppers, while energy efficiency and bigger closets are gaining in popularity, according to a new survey from the National Association of Home Builders. NAHB asked builders to rank home features from 1 to 5 on how likely they were to include them this year in single-family homes they build this year.

An increased interest in energy efficiency is decreasing interest in two-story foyers and rooms, Rose Quint, NAHB’s assistant vice president for survey research, told MarketWatch. “Consumers consider those spaces to be energy inefficient,” she says.

Here are some of the least likely features that builders say they will include in new homes this year:

1. Outdoor kitchen (cooking, refrigeration, and sink)
2. Laminate countertops in kitchen
3. Outdoor fireplace
4. Sunroom
5. Two-story family room
6. Media room
7. Two-story foyer
8. Walking/jogging trails in community
9. Whirlpool in master bathroom
10. Carpeting as flooring on main level

On the other hand, these home features, builders say, are most likely to be included in a new home this year:

1. Walk-in closet in master bedroom
2. Laundry room
3. Low-e windows
4. Guest room (kitchen-family-room-living room)
5. Energy-star rated appliances
6. 9-foot ceiling or more on first floor
7. Energy-star rated windows
8. Programmable thermostat
9. Two-car garage
10. Granite countertop in kitchen

Source: “Whirlpool Bathtubs are Losing Out in New Homes,” MarketWatch (April 2, 2015)