What Will Homebuyers Pay Extra For

It’s a seller’s market these days as home prices are on the up swing. So, if you’re selling, here’s what people will pay extra for when they’re buying.

Central Air

I grew up with a window air conditioner. Of course, I grew up in a century old house and back then central air wasn’t invented yet, so if you have a house with central air, make sure you put that feature in the listing. A new survey shows that buyers in all age categories thought that central air is something more than one third of all buyers would pay extra for. How much extra? $25 hundred dollars to be exact because to install it in an average two thousand square foot house would be about four grand.

Closet Space

Women especially love a walk in closet. We have one in our bedroom and it’s fantastic. It offers much more space than the average closet, it’s easier to see your clothes and it offers another spot to get dressed in private. Just over half of homebuyers surveyed said that they would be willing to pay more to have a walk in closet. It was listed as something “especially desireable” for buyers in the 35 to 54 year old category and of those almost all said that a walk in closet was “very important”.

Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are a beautiful feature that can up the elegance of any room. Almost half of all buyers aud that they would be willing to pay about two thousand dollars more for, for just two hundred square feet. Older home buyers said it wasn’t that important, but for the younger set, they are.

Kitchen

Part of the reason I love my house so much is the kitchen. It has a nice view of the back yard and sun from both directions. That’s nice and all, but most home owners said that the reasons they would love a kitchen more are granite counter tops and new appliances. If you have both, that would translate to $35 hundred extra dollars for your house. Almost half of homebuyers said they would pay extra for granite countertops and I can see why. My sister has them in her house and she just loves them. New applicances are another top priority with over two thirds of homebuyers saying they’re an important feature.

Overall, the money buyers would pay doesn’t really justify the cost of you putting them in yourself. Most realtors I know say a nice yard, a good paint job and a clean house can sell the home.