Buying a home is much more than just an economic decision.
It’s a combination of common sense and of the mind and heart, says Nathan Guttman, a Realtor with Keller Williams Real Estate in Allentown. The intellect and reason is what causes someone to pick a price range and a style. Once they know their price, the next part is the touchy-feely part. At that point they go into a home and they are they looking for a house that will turn into their home.
Everyone has their own special something they want in their home, but, local real estate agents say, there are some common denominators that hook homebuyers.
Here’s a top 10 list of what’s most important to potential homebuyers:
1. THE OUTSIDE
It’s trite but true: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.
That appeal factor especially the first 30 days on the market is a big factor, says Jack Gross of Cassidon Realty in Bethlehem. After that first impression you never get another chance. People don’t consider the appeal value when they are selling their house.
Crucial to drawing in a homebuyer is how a house looks from the outside, or a home’s curb appeal.
Curb appeal is 70 percent of the buying decision, Guttman says. It is paramount.
The center piece of a home’s outside appearance is its front door, an innocuous feature that really matters, local real estate agents say.
Debbi Pereira, a real estate agent with Whitehall-based Power Realty, says potential homebuyers have a lot of time to examine the front door area while the real estate agent opens the door.
The appearance of the front door and the condition of the moldings, and everything is extremely important, Pereira says.
Coupled with the front door is how the front yard appears — nice mulch, well-manicured shrubbery, all of it go hand in hand with drawing a buyer in. If the outside of the house isn’t well maintained the clients think that the homeowner didn’t maintain the house.
If they are in a nice tree-lined neighborhood and they go up to the house and they see the yard isn’t kept and they go up to the door and the door handle is falling off, from that point on they have a distaste in their mouth, Guttman says.
2. LOCATION
Today’s homes have to be conveniently located for homebuyers, agents say. Factors including what school district the home is in, and its convenience to highways are important, Gross says.
Different homebuyers have different needs. Some want a home that’s an easy commute to work. Those who work at home require different features.
“A lot more people ask us about high-speed Internet access,” Gross says.
3. GARAGE
People want a home for their second-most-treasured belonging, their cars.
People want at least a two-car garage, Gross says.
Not only do they want room for their cars, but they want additional storage space for everything from tools to lawnmowers and other yard care equipment.
4. KITCHEN
That’s the place where families gather. They spend a lot of time in the kitchen area, Pereira says.
Pereira says people look for updated kitchens, with newer appliances, cabinetry, countertops and flooring. A dated kitchen can be expensive to update.
But a kitchen is more than the sum of its appliances and features.
Home buyers want kitchen to be airy and bright with natural light — a warm and inviting place for daily life as well as for entertaining on special occasions.
When you go to someone’s house for a party they hang out in the kitchen, Guttman says. Many people love to cook and that’s their domain. They take pride in what they are doing.
5. MASTER BEDROOM
Home buyers want a room that’s big enough to accommodate their existing furniture as well as adequate storage.
They are definitely looking for the size, Pereira says.
But they also want the room that has the right feel.
When they are sleeping they have to feel comfortable, Guttman says. That’s the last thing they see when they close their eyes at night and the first thing they see when they open their eyes in the morning. They have to be happy that they are there.
6. BATHROOM
As with the bedroom, home buyers want updated styling, preferably in neutral colors.
The number of bathrooms in a house also is important, local agents say.
People want more than one and that’s across the board, Pereira says. One-and-one-half is great; 2 and up is better.
If buyers have a bit more money to spend, they want a master bathroom that is spacious, with a big tub or a shower and tub separate from the commode, Pereira says.
Where the bathrooms are in relationship to the rest of the rooms in the house is also an important consideration.
7. STORAGE SPACE
Buyers want enough space to stash their stuff.
Closet space is a big one, Gross says. They are looking for the future and buying more than they need.
Pereira says her clients love extra storage space — big attics, large sheds, roomy
basem*nts.
8. BAsem*nTS
Basem*nts used to be the place where you’d have your laundry appliances and store extra stuff.
Nowadays it’s a bonus room where kids can play, dad can watch the big game in peace or even a place for a home theater system.
A finished basem*nt is a plus, Pereira says. Families with kids want a finished basem*nt. If it’s done it’s a plus.
If a basem*nt is not already finished, home buyers are interested in whether a basem*nt can be finished and what it would cost to do so.
9. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
With home heating and cooling prices skyrocketing over the past few years, energy efficiency has become an important issue when considering what house to buy, local real estate agents say.
“Homebuyers are very cognizant” about energy efficiency, Guttman says. They want to know, what is it going to cost them to heat and air condition their homes. They look at insulation, the energy efficiency of the windows, type of heat, the age of the heating system.
10. HOW IT MAKES THEM FEEL
Overall, no matter what price point a home buyer is working with, a house has to feel like home.
“They want to walk in a home and stand there and say that this feels good,” Pereira says. “Sometimes it’s how a home is decorated. It’s all psychological.”
Photography by Don Fisher
Jennifer Sheehan is a freelance writer.
Real estate editor Eloise DeHaan
eloise.dehaan@mcall.com
610-820-6167
