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Pandemic reshuffles homebuyers’ amenity priorities

by John Yellig

Goodbye granite countertops, hardwood floors and stainless-steel appliances, and hello garage, walk-in closet and full bath. Many things have changed during the pandemic, and homebuyers’ amenity preferences were no exception, according to a new report from Point2 Homes.

The online real estate marketplace examined 43 million words from 640,495 listings in the U.S. and compared the findings to a similar analysis it conducted in 2019. What it found is that while some amenities like high-quality floors, appliances and countertops remain high on the list of homebuyer wants, they are no longer in the top three. Instead, they have been replaced by amenities that bring more living space and a better division of space — a reflection of the increased time people have spent at home during the pandemic.

 

 

“Homebuyers emerged out of lockdown with an acute desire to regain a lost sense of privacy and restore their well being amid a fast-changing home life,” the report states. “Therefore, the most desirable homes and the properties that seem to fly off the market are those that promise more space and more efficient space partitions that are better suited for the new work/life balance requirements.”

Adjectives that reflect the stay-at-home lives we’ve lived for the past year and a half also dominated the survey, as words like “large,” “new” and “spacious” gained top billing. Adjectives reflecting the desire for privacy and physical isolation also gained a place of prominence: “private,” “covered,” “quiet,” “separate” and “enclosed” were among the top 100 most-used description terms, according to the report.

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