What home feature do buyers desire the most?

A laundry room.

Although laundry is decidedly not an exciting chore, having a laundry room is a home feature buyers desire. They consider it the home feature buyers desirable the most, according to a recent survey from the National Association of Home Builders.

Ninety-three percent of buyers surveyed said they wanted a laundry room, and 57 percent of those consider it downright essential. So if you’re looking to do some renovations this spring and summer, consider making a designated space for laundry, with a door and enough room  to store laundry items, fold clothes and have space for drying.

“This has been a trend that has risen in the past few years,” said Rose Quint, assistant vice president of survey research for the National Association of Home Builders. “People don’t want to walk over their dirty laundry on their way to the kitchen.”

And they don’t want to walk up and down the stairs to the basement either. According to Quint, 70 percent of buyers say they want their laundry rooms on the first floor.

Exhaust fans in the bathroom are the next most popular feature. More than half of buyers consider this minor feature a must-have. They cost about $400 to install, according to Home Advisor, a home improvement website.

Ceiling fans are another quick and relatively inexpensive add-on that buyers are looking for (nearly half consider them a must-have). For about $300, you can have a ceiling fan professionally installed, according to Home Advisor.

The kitchen also continues to transform from a place where mom made meals to a family gathering spot, where you can cook, eat, entertain, help the kids with homework and pay the bills. So you’ll want to invest some time and money into making your kitchen as multi-functional as possible to catch a buyer’s eye. Adding any kind of table or island with stools or chairs for people to sit and dedicating a cabinet for paperwork can make a big difference in how the kitchen space is utilized.

Here’s the list of the 10 home features buyers consider most essential in a new home.

1. Laundry room: 57 percent of buyers consider this essential.

2. Exhaust fan in the bathroom: 53 percent

3. Ceiling fans: 48 percent

4. Double sink in the kitchen: 44 percent

5. Exterior lighting: 41 percent

6. Both a shower stall and tub in the master bathroom: 41 percent

7. Bathroom linen closet: 39 percent

8. Table space for eating in the kitchen: 36 percent

9. Energy-Star rated windows: 35 percent

10. Garage storage: 32 percent

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