A majority of home buyers – 78 percent — expressed that a ‘linen closet in the master bathroom’ is a desirable (52 percent) or an essential/must have bathroom feature (26 percent), putting it in first place in the most wanted bathroom features list (Figure 1).

This data comes from NAHB’s recently released report, What Home Buyers Really Want, 2019 Edition. The report is based on a survey asking recent and prospective home buyers (people who bought homes in the previous three years or are planning to do so in the next three years) about the features they want in a home or community.

One question asks home buyers to rate a comprehensive list of features using a four-tier scale of do not want, indifferent, desirable, and essential/must have. Figure 1 shows the top ten bathroom features with the highest share combination of desirable (would be seriously influenced to buy home if included) and essential/must have (unlikely to buy a home without it).

Two other features were rated as essential/must have or desirable by at least 70 percent of home buyers: ‘both shower stall & tub in master bath’ (73 percent); and a ‘double vanity’ (71 percent). It is important to note that these two features have the highest shares of home buyers rating them as essential/must haves (32 percent each), more than any other bathroom feature listed in the survey.

Another four features were rated essential/must have or desirable by at least 60 percent of home buyers: ‘private toilet compartment in master bath’ (65 percent), ‘white toilet, tub, & sink’ (63 percent), ‘ceramic tile walls’ (62 percent), and a ‘granite vanity’ (61 percent). Rounding out the top ten are the following features: 57 percent of home buyers rated ‘multiple shower heads in master bath’ an essential/must have or desirable feature, followed by a ‘body spray panel in master bath’ (56 percent) and ‘whirlpool tub in master bath’ (54 percent).

To get more facts about what home buyers really want, please visit BuilderBooks.com to download the latest edition.

Tags: Bathroom Features, bathrooms, What Home Buyers Really Want