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What Homebuyers Want, Based on Popular Listing Keywords

Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and hardwood floors are not quite as in-demand as they were a few years ago. A newly published study shows house hunters' desires shifted in very specific ways in the midst of a global pandemic. While a home's cosmetic appeals remain attractive, an analysis of 43 million words appearing in 640,495 house listings across the country revealed, decidedly, that more living space and a better division of space is of primary importance to potential buyers.

The research team at Point2, which develops original studies on many real estate topics, examined what words sellers and agencies are most using to attract buyers today. Point2 author Andra Hopulele summarized their findings.

"Homebuyers emerged out of lockdown with an acute desire to regain a lost sense of privacy and restore their wellbeing amid a fast-changing home life," she wrote. "Therefore, the most desirable homes and the properties that seem to fly off the market are those that promise more space and more efficient space partitions that are better suited for the new work/life balance requirements."

Hopulele continued, "the most popular and used words in home descriptions help home seekers build a mental picture of the home and connect the right buyer with their ideal property. In a self-sustaining feedback loop, buyers’ needs and desires shape the features and amenities that homes offer and, in turn, existing homes set the tone when it comes to big trends and buyers’ expectations."

With familiar trends accelerating and new trends taking shape, descriptors and phrases are changing every day, according to Point2.

Putting aside expected terms such as “home,” “bedroom,” and “bathroom” adjectives including “large” and “new” took the top spots, pointing to buyers’ increasing need for living spaces that offer "unencumbered room to roam," as Hopulele puts it. Likewise, descriptors like “great,” “beautiful” and “spacious” also very popular—seemed to reflect the same reorientation toward more spacious, functional living areas.

Word cloud of 2020's most popular adjectives, from Point2.

The researchers compared their most recent assessment to a similar study conducted in 2019 in order to compare how much homeowners' demands have changed.

While the desirability of those countertops, floor, and appliance qualities remain on the list, they have forfeited their top spots to "walk-in closets" and "full bathrooms."

"Garage” and “parking” moved up on the list.

"The popularity of these home description keywords points to the fact that, during a year when planes were grounded and social distancing wreaked havoc, it was the car that helped people escape the confines of their homes and find comfort elsewhere," Hopulele added.

Mentions of closed-off areas and separate rooms—such as “bonus room," "laundry room" and “home office” also surged, suggesting that "additional elbow room that might make the time spent inside more bearable," the Point2 author said. And the appearance of "fireplace" in a top spot "suggest(s) that many families were trying to turn their living rooms into oases of calm away from the world," she added.

Point2's study breaks all the data down by the house hunters' price range as well as region and even looks at the most-used brand names in home descriptions (Whirlpool is a big player).

For single-family rental owners and investors, Point2 offers a separate analysis of The Most Popular Keywords in Descriptions of Homes for Rent.

About Author: Christina Hughes Babb

Christina Hughes Babb is a reporter for DS News and MReport. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, she has been a reporter, editor, and publisher in the Dallas area for more than 15 years. During her 10 years at Advocate Media/Dallas Magazine, she published thousands of articles covering local politics, real estate, development, crime, the arts, entertainment, and human interest, among other topics. She has won two national Mayborn School of Journalism Ten Spurs awards for nonfiction, and has penned pieces for Texas Monthly, Salon.com, Dallas Observer, Edible, and the Dallas Morning news, among others. Contact Christina at [email protected].
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