The housing market is becoming more and more diverse with each year that passes, if you look back on thing that were in demand years earlier are starting to be phased out as a new generation of home-buyers enters the market. All those lavish outdoor kitchens and two-story foyers are starting to become a thing of the past as they are not as high on the priority list for new home shoppers. The National Association of Home Builders [NAHB as I'll refer to them in this blog post] recently released data, in which they surveyed builders, asking them to rank home features from 1 to 5 on how likely they were to include those items in this years construction of brand new single family homes. NAHB found that energy efficiency and bigger closets are gaining steam among items atop the list. The reason why consumers are moving towards new trends is because they are realizing that two-story foyers and outdoor kitchens are energy inefficient, when efficiency is in the forefront of home sustainability. Here are some of the least likely features that builders say they will include in new homes this year: [in no particular order]
1. Outdoor kitchen (cooking, refrigerating, and sink)
2. Laminate counter tops in kitchen
3. Outdoor fireplace
4. Sun room
5. Two-story family room
6. Two-story foyer
7. Media Room
8. Walking/jogging trails in community
9. Whirlpool in master bathroom
10. Carpeting as flooring on main level
On the flip side of the coin, these home features, builders say, are most likely to include in a new home this year: [in no particular order]
1. Walk-in closed 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 ceilings or more on the first floor
7. Energy-star rated windows
8. Programmable thermostat
9. Two-car garage
10. Granite counter tops in kitchen
National award-winners and seasoned Realtors with over many years of experience in Northern & Central New Jersey, Rahul & Smitha and their team have become New Jersey’s “Go To” agents and consistent leaders with a reputation for tenaciously protecting their clients’ interests. They specialize in Morris, Somerset, Essex, Union and Passaic counties.
