These 8 Design Features Can Help Your Home Sell for More Money in 2023
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When it comes to the qualities that help a house feel like a home, it’s clear that the little details can make a big difference. Everything from the scent to the surfaces of kitchen countertops have been proven to help a home sell quicker or at a higher price.
Certain details—such as professional-grade appliances or the cozy aroma of freshly baked bread—are timeless value-boosters. But other coveted qualities come and go based on current trends.
8 Home Features That Can Help Your House Sell for More Money
To create the new 2023 Houzz U.S. Emerging Summer Trends Report, researchers at the home design site compared search data from January through March 2022 to January through March 2023 to spot any rising trends. The following features jumped to the top as the largest increases in interest, perhaps signaling the features that most homeowners (and home purchasers) are seeking this season.
Finished Basements
Instead of simply acting as a storage area or a respite from any severe storms, transforming a bare-bones basement to a finished basement offers additional living space—and recreation space. The latter appears to be a particular selling point for modern-day homeowners. Searches for “basement golf simulator” spiked a whopping 20 times from early 2022 to 2023. Basement rec rooms, movie theaters, game rooms and entertainment areas also rose in popularity.
Rooftops
What lies below is clearly of interest, but don’t forget to look up. Rooftops are a wise way to expand the livable square feet of your space, too, and skyrocketing searches for “outdoor rooftop terrace” are proof that the al fresco living space trends of the pandemic are not showing any signs of losing speed. Rooftop decks and patios are also rising in popularity, the Houzz team says. While this isn’t a possibility for many home styles, it's certainly a value-booster for homes, townhomes and apartments that have flat tops.
Accessible Bathrooms
For blended families or a lifelong home, folks are keeping a keen eye on properties with “aging-in-place bathrooms” and “handicap-accessible bathrooms”—or are updating their own homes to act as a safe space to reside well into their retirement years. Handheld shower heads and curbless showers also increased in interest year over year.
Decked-Out Kitchens
If only we could all have cooking spaces like the amenity-packed ones seen on Top Chef… Well, many homeowners are spiffing up their space to be packed with restaurant-like amenities, including track lighting, pull-down faucets, stainless steel or concrete countertops and copper backsplashes. (Don’t forget the functional pantry, induction range and luxury appliances while you’re at it; all have been linked with higher home values.)
At the same time, homeowners are investing in features that allow them to entertain more right in the kitchen itself. “Large kitchen island with seating,” “open concept kitchen to family room” and “island cooktops” are trending now more than in 2022.
Separated Spaces
Open-concept kitchens might be en vogue, but temporary separation is key elsewhere, Houzz users say. Living room dividers, Shoji screens and partition walls are all rising quickly since early 2022.
Historical Style
In news that speaks to our vintage-collecting and antique-adoring hearts, what’s old is new in terms of overall architecture and design, this Houzz research reveals. Searches for Colonial front porches, exteriors and living rooms, as well as Spanish Colonial kitchens, living rooms and exteriors, all increased by 123 to 1,470(!) percent.
Scene-Stealing Ceilings
Rather than overlooking the “fifth wall,” this Houzz report suggests that the latest paint trend might be all about the ceiling. High-gloss, painted, wallpaper and black ceilings are all having a moment.
Pint-Sized Pools
You need not have a sweeping, acres-wide estate (like the most expensive homes in all 50 states) to take advantage of your outdoor space this summer. Small swimming pool, small plunge pool and small pool house searches are all much higher in 2023 compared to 2022. It’s not just about the water features; small screened-in porches and small outdoor kitchens are trending now, too.
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