Just like many areas of life, the housing market is subject to trends. If your home happens to have a feature that’s one of the hottest trends, it’s likely to sell very easily and for your asking price or even higher. If it has a trend that’s out, it may be more difficult to sell. Here are a few different home features that were hot for a time but have now cooled off. Many are seen as luxuries in a market that is now focused on practical, environmental housing.
A two-story family room. These spaces may look amazing with their incredibly high ceilings and open area to the balcony upstairs, but they’re also very hard to heat and cool efficiently. They also have a lot of wasted space at the top, space many people would rather use for another upstairs room.
The formal living room is also no longer popular. Instead, people are looking for great rooms—an open area that combines living room, family room, and even the dining room or kitchen into one large space. Homes that do have a formal living room will still do fairly well on the market if the space can be transformed into a home office or another bedroom.
Sunrooms. Sunrooms aren’t exactly practical, and they can be difficult to heat and cool. Many people don’t see the point to a sunroom, especially if they don’t care about growing indoor plants or having an area for entertaining that’s separate from their living room. They’d rather have a larger kitchen with an abode hot tap or additional storage space.
Large master baths. While people do enjoy good-sized bathrooms, they no longer feel the need for showers with multiple heads or a separate shower and tub. Instead, they’d rather have something a little more practical such as more counter space or a double sink.
Outdoor cooking areas. Outdoor kitchens were very trendy at one time, but today, very few people entertain outdoors. These areas were always seen as luxuries that most people couldn’t afford, anyway. Likewise, the outdoor fireplace isn’t as in demand as it once was. While it can be very nice for chilly evenings, it’s a luxury that most people now see more as something else to be maintained.
Remember that just because your home has one or more of these features doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. You may have the perfect location or other great features that make the property a hot commodity. Your realtor may even know of the perfect buyer who is looking for that formal living room or outdoor kitchen.