Do you remember the first impression you had when you bought your house? Maybe the wall color in the bedroom stood out or some weird tiling choices. When it comes to home buyers, interior design choices can attract them or send them running. Many things make or break a sale, and a homeowner who’s putting their home on the market will only benefit from knowing what sells a house and what can bring more profit to their pockets.
In general, homeowners and homebuyers have strong opinions about upcoming interior design. Still, if you plan to sell a home, even if you are under the impression that you know what interior design could help increase the value of your home the most, it’s best to look at the real data than go by what your gut instinct tells you. Simply because what you like isn’t necessarily what your potential buyers will like.
Throughout this article, we intend to give you the most updated information about what homebuyers and real estate experts say about what sells a house. We'll cover everything from the most popular home features to the scent that attracts homebuyers more. So, buckle up and get ready to bid your home adieu, as buyers will come in flocks to take it off your hands.
What are the Biggest Selling Points of a House?
Determining what sells a house may not be the most straightforward task, but we broke it down for you into a few categories. Firstly, we grabbed our magnifying glass and zoomed in on those features that stand out and really make the sale happen. While the following list has been compiled by going over data sources available throughout the country, it may be that your local real estate market is different. For more in detail information related to your location, in particular, you can find a real estate agent in your area by simply typing the name of your city in the search bar.
Still, the following list will cover many features that provide good signs that a home will sell. Whether your home already has them or you have the budget to implement them, these are simply some of the most sought-after features that increase the appeal of any home. Usually, homes with the following features sell faster and for a higher price than those without them based solely on what buyers look for in a home.
Laundry Room
Based on our research, around 87% of home buyers are looking for a separate room to hold their washer and dryer. Given that information, if you don’t have a laundry room, think about considering an upgrade. While limiting your pre-home sale renovation is key, if you can organize your home in such a way that your washer and dryer are either in a separate room or by sectioning a part of an existing room on the first floor preferably. According to research, 63% of buyers prefer a laundry room located on the first floor.
Once you decide on the space, paint or clean the walls, install some cabinets or shelving for storage, and maybe even a built-in wall ironing board, easily accessible whenever you need a shirt ironed. To save up as much space as possible, possibly for some clothing racks, stack your washer and dryer.
Exterior Lighting
Whether it’s for security purposes or simply because it’s more comfortable to sit out after dark if there is some outdoor lighting, it appears that 87% of home buyers want this feature. Additionally, outdoor lighting adds a lot of curb appeal and value to your home, particularly due to its security characteristics. While one dim light close to the front door may be enough for you, it won’t inspire many buyers to make the purchase.
Firstly, you need to consider any existing outdoor lighting around your home. It may be as simple as changing the light bulbs or repairing the wiring. Still, an electrician may be necessary, especially if the project needs new lighting installed.
On the other hand, some outdoor lighting installations can simply be strung by hooks or trees, depending on what is available and what the landscape looks like. But if you want to really add value to your home, look into landscape or architectural lighting. Those two work precisely to increase the aspect of your home based solely on your home’s and garden’s design.
Ceiling Fans
Considering how the climate is treating us during the summer months, for approximately 83% of buyers, ceiling fans are a feature that would motivate them to buy one home over another. It may seem like a simple feature, and it’s often overlooked, but people chose it from over 100 other home features as the one thing that would make them buy a home.
As people become more aware of spectacular-looking light fixtures for different tasks, their popularity is growing. The best thing about ceiling fans is that they aren’t expensive and incredibly easy to install. Still, this home improvement can have a massive impact on the value of your home. If you want to really impress home buyers, are willing to install a ceiling fan but fail to see the appeal of that dull-looking windmill on the ceiling, go up a notch and install a fan-delier. It will look like a chandelier but work as a fan as well.
ENERGY STAR-rated Features
Anything that increases a home’s energy efficiency ranks high in appeal for home buyers, as 83% consider it important. This home feature is also related to the extreme weather we’ve been experiencing lately and the skyrocketing heating costs, whether gas or electricity. Seeing as these ENERGY STAR windows work to regulate the temperature inside the home, they will save money for the homeowner. It’s easy to see why many home buyers are interested in them.
While ENERGY STAR windows aren’t a cheap switcheroo, if you plan a remodel and may be interested in selling the property, later on, it’s important to know the role these windows play. However, if you already made the switch, make sure you include them as a feature when you’re listing your home.
Other ENERGY STAR features that home buyers are interested in are smart appliances. In fact, around 81% of home buyers look for these energy-efficient appliances due to their impact on energy bills and decreased maintenance costs. Similarly, energy-efficient lighting increases the appeal of a property. This change will be easy and affordable when you consider how long-lasting they are, and, as an added benefit, they help the planet by decreasing energy consumption and waste.
Patio
Over the years, patios have remained one of the most popular home features for home buyers, but the pandemic escalated their appeal. When spending time outside your property became restricted, having a patio where you could enjoy the warm weather became a highly desirable feature in homes. Still, while the worst of the pandemic is behind us, 82% of home buyers are willing to pay that extra buck just to enjoy a cup of coffee outside and entertain guests in the evenings. It’s also easier to keep your eyes on pets or small children from a patio, and is sure to increase the value of your home.
Surprisingly, home buyers prefer a patio to decks, rear or front porches. It’s good that they are easy to build, not having to be raised like decks. Furthermore, if your home has an attractive view, a patio will make it that much more appealing and accessible, so if it is within your budget, don’t think twice before installing this home feature.
Double Basin Sink
We all know that the large farmhouse sink looks amazing, seeing as it has taken over Pinterest, DIY channels, and interior design magazines. Still, that doesn’t mean that they are what people want. When you think about a farmhouse sink, you must also consider its functionality. It’s big, bulky, and has one purpose: to give you the space to wash your dishes. However, due to its versatile functionality, around 81% of home buyers prefer a side-by-side sink, also known as a double basin sink. It’s also suitable for bigger families and big kitchens, so consider that before investing in this change.
Walk-in Pantry
Similar to the laundry room, having a space designated for food storage and kitchen supplies brings a lot of value to a property. If you’re looking for what sells a house, this is one of the most appealing features simply because it makes sense. The kitchen is one of the places where storage makes a lot of sense, especially if that storage space is organized in a way that provides suitable conditions for different types of foods. A walk-in pantry doesn’t only do that, but it also gives one easy access to everything they might need. A great way to make the kitchen storage area look linear by working with the layout is to hide the walk-in pantry behind some cabinet doors.
Now that we know the biggest selling points of a house let’s take a closer look at the little things that help sell a house. It’s not always about the size of the kitchen or the location of your washer and dryer. The real estate world deals with two main factors. The first is the real estate, which we already covered, the part you want to sell. The second one is the people, the buyers, the human beings that enter your home and decide whether or not they want to buy it.
While many people focus only on the property's features, they overlook its human side. Buyers are human beings looking for those features, but they are also feeling the space, trying to get a sense of whether or not they will feel comfortable in that space. We won’t start talking about spirits or auras here, but there is something to consider when you want to sell a home. Some things are easy to do and can make a big difference to your potential buyer.
What Scent Sells a House?
No. We aren’t selling our homes to dogs, but you can not say that some scents don’t make a home more appealing or inviting. That is precisely why when we look into what sells a home, we also consider the other senses, and, in this case, the sense of smell. If you’ve ever wondered what scent sells a house, know there is one. Or rather, a few. Still, there is one thing that must come first. Your home needs to be clean, so the first thing you’ll need to do is clean everything. The biggest issues in a lived-in home is to get rid of some of the hardest smells to remove from the curtains, carpets, sofas, and any pet items, especially if you’re a smoker, but you can get rid of bad odors. Once that is out of the way, let’s look into what scent sells a house.
While you may think that the smells of coffee or baked cookies may help you sell your home faster, studies show that these may very well work against you as they can distract home buyers from actually looking at your home. They may have things they need to check when attending your open house, and if the property smells of cookies, they’ll only think of getting their hands on those cookies. So, discovering what scent sells a house may not be as simple as you thought, but that’s what we’re here for.
Citrus
The smell of citrus leaves a positive impression on anyone who smells it, making it a winner for property selling. For women especially, citrus is considered a number one mood booster and is also believed to relieve stress.
Pine
While this may surprise some seeing as the scent of pine has been severely misused in many cleaning products over the years, a good pine scent can be a good choice if you’re looking for what sells a house. Based on research it has been discovered that the scent of pine woods inspires feelings of well-being, which is something that will surely make people feel better when they view a house.
Cinnamon
Similar to pine, the scent of cinnamon transports anyone who smells it in memories of winter days spent by the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa in your hands as you snuggle in a blanket on the sofa. Reaching Hygge is not difficult if you add cinnamon to the mix. Some of the effects of this scent and the reason why it’ll come up first as response to the question “What scent sells a home?” is the fact that it reduces drowsiness and irritability, relaxes the muscles and can increase circulation when used for aromatherapy. The reason why the scent of cinnamon is what sells a house is the feeling of goodwill that it can bring with only a few sticks of cinnamon placed around the house.
Jasmine
One of the things that you should aim to inspire in prospective buyers is a sense of calmness, despite the excitement that they must feel upon seeing your property. While the two emotions seem to go against each other, they need to be excited about the property, but calm enough to be able to take in all the details that are so important to them. You no longer need to wonder what scent sells a house by inspiring calmness seeing as jasmine has been established as one of the most calming scents in the world. It isn’t as used for property viewing as much, but it is one of the most effective one there is.
Vanilla
Even though the word “vanilla” is used as a synonym for boring, normal and conventional it also answers the question “what scent sells a house” simply because it is mild and sweet, comfortable. The vanilla fragrance helps reduce stress and anxiety, creating a calm environment that can turn your home into an oasis for potential home buyers.
What you need to keep in mind when using scents that help sell a property is that moderation is key. If the smell is too powerful, even if it’s the best smell in the world, it will cause more damage than good, disturbing the senses and people will just turn away from your home. Make sure you only use a hint of fragrance so home buyers can appreciate your property’s features without them holding their nose or waste time wondering if the home made cookies have pecan or almonds in them, in case they are allergic to one.
What Color Sells a House?
A fresh coat of paint isn’t always necessary and in many cases it can be a waste as many new home owners tend to invest in some renovation upon purchasing a home, only to make it fit their design style better. Still, if it is necessary due to damage, or maybe you are planning to paint your home with the prospect of selling in the near future, then it is true that some colors are better choices than others. So, if you’re wondering what color sells a house, you’ve reached the section aimed for you.
Understanding how you’re supposed to use color in your interior design is a complex issue, but here we’ll cover the basics when it comes to the main areas of a home. It’s evident that some rooms are more important than other, which is why we’ll focus on those if you’re looking for what color sells a house.
Compact living room
For a smaller sized living room it’s important to select a pattern that inspires calmness and cozyness without being too dark. A suitable color scheme is flat beige, flat green and flat mauve.
Spacious living room
If the living room is more spacious you can add more depth to the colors and don’t be afraid of vivid shades on the colors mentioned above. If you have a south facing window, cool shades will work as there will be enough natural light (turquoise, sky blue and white). For an east facing window, natural shades, browns, greens and grays work best, but warm colors like honey, soft pink or honey will also go well. With a modern interior design furniture with vibrant colors like emerald, gray, blue or turquoise will bring the whole style together.
Kitchen
While a small kitchen requires light colors that don’t create a lot of contrast, you can use brighter color in a bigger kitchen. Dark tones tend to shrink a space so only use them in a large kitchen, but also keep away from cool colors if you have ample space. If you want a pop of color in a small kitchen stick to navy blue, bright white and leather brown. A warm white, natural wood tones for depth and some olive green will create a warming effect in any room, but the color pallet works wonderfully in the kitchen, small or large. If you want to go for a fancier design, the colors you want is black if your kitchen is big. For a smaller but still fancy kitchen, give some texture to that black and add a pop of yellow and some gray for contrast.
Bathroom
Some of the bathroom options for what color sells a house are pale blues if the bathroom is smaller. Maybe try to avoid the all white color pallet (or lack thereof) as those sell for less on average. If you want to bring the sky inside your bathroom, choose a pale illuminating blue, alabaster or gray. Still, natural shades like pale ocher, pale green and pale pink add some warmth to the space.
Bedroom
The color you introduce in your sleeping space needs to inspire calmness and psychologists insist that light and neutral colors make you sleep better and longer. For this reason, blue is considered one of the best bedroom colors and some of the best shades are stone blue, blue gray and cook’s blue. If you want a warmer interior design choose taupe as it is neutral yet introduces a hint of color and warmth. There are many varieties and different tones, but pale taupe and champagne give a more sophisticated look to any sleeping space.
What Color Door Sells a House?
With the final months of 2022 slowly passing one by one, we can’t help but look to 2023 in search of the best colors for our plans to sell a house. Many people overlook the front door, even if it is, literally, the first thing anyone sees when they look at a home. Aside from the front yard and the exterior paint, the front door is the house’s first element people interact with and it does give a strong first impression.
If you’re wondering what color door sells a house, look no further. From what we gathered, the upcoming trends for 2023 are light grays if you want to remain neutral, blues if you like a pop of color, black for modern architecture and vibrant colors as an accent . Earthy greens, beige, yelloow and turquoise can work as well and they are trending, but you need to take into consideration the house’s style, architecture and location if you want to go for something that vibrant.
Conclusion
From the rest of 2022 we can expect a continuous interest from home buyers and that gives sellers something to keep in mind: figuring out what sells a house depending on what home buyers are actually looking for. There were times when it was easy to give home buyers what they wanted because expectations were different. However, in 2022 and the following years, these expectations have increased and demands are more stringent. Figuring out what sells a house is detrimental in today’s real estate market, but it isn’t impossible to figure it out. What’s important is that you invest in changes that are capable of bringing as much value back to you when you sell, and not to waste your budget on things that you’re unlikely to recover investment from.
Buyer’s in today’s market are willing to pay a fair price for extra features, especially seeing as investing in those features after purchase may be more costly considering supply chain issues. Still, working with a professional real estate agent can give you access to a plethora of knowledge that will only make it easier and more profitable for you to sell your home. There are additional risks if you decide to sell a property without an agent that you should avoid.
Let us know in the comment section below if you consider any of the ideas mentioned above as important in the home selling process or if you looked into these features and aspects of the property when you last bought a house. Like & Share this article with friends and family to ensure that anybody who is planning to sell a house in the near future, has access to the most updated information regarding what sells a house in today’s real estate market.
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