Fashion is a spinning wheel, with many things going in and out of style in the blink of an eye.Housing features aren’t immune to fickle customs.
Indeed, research from Rightmove has listed the property features that are gaining popularity and those that are falling out of favour with buyers. If you’re selling your home, understanding what potential buyers are looking for could help you.
From leaky conservatories to cosy underfloor heating, here are 10 property features that have been gaining, or losing, popularity in recent years.
6 property features buyers are looking for
1. Garden offices
With the push to work from home following the Covid pandemic, it may come as no surprise that there has been a staggering 1,046% increase in property listings mentioning a garden office, according to Rightmove.
Not only will this new relaxing space in the garden provide somewhere for you to get away from the family and focus on your work, but the Property Centre reports that it could add around 8.4% to the value of your home.
It doesn’t just have to be used for work either; you could turn it into a summer house or even a playroom for your children.
2. Bi-fold doors
If your property has a nice garden, you should make the most of it. A great way to seamlessly merge your backroom with your garden is with bi-fold doors. In fact, there has been a 589% increase in property listings mentioning them compared to 10 years ago.
Bi-fold doors don’t just make accessing your garden easier – your backroom will also be flooded with natural light. They are also much more compact than sliding doors, so they’ll even suit a smaller home.
3. Orangeries
An orangery is a brick home extension with a flat roof and windows but, unlike a conservatory, they have solid roofs with lanterns to allow natural light in.
Traditionally, orangeries were used to store fruit trees over the winter months, and even though there has been a 173% increase in property listings mentioning the feature, this is unlikely to be due to a sudden public interest in growing fruit.
An orangery can instead offer a flexible space that can be used however you’d like. For example, you could turn it into your home gym, or simply a place to relax and read a book.
4. Underfloor heating
There is no better feeling than stepping out of the shower onto a warm floor on a cold day. So, this may explain why there has been a 114% increase in property listings mentioning underfloor heating.
This isn’t just pleasant on your feet, though; it is relatively energy-efficient too. In fact, Ideal Home reports that as well as increasing the value of your property, underfloor heating is one of the most efficient ways to heat your home, being around 10% to 20% more efficient than radiators.
5. Summer houses
Similar to orangeries and garden offices, summer houses have also seen a resurgence in interest, with 90% more mentions of the feature in property listings when compared to 10 years ago.
These days, space is in such high demand, so it may come as no surprise that many people are looking to utilise as much room as possible.
As well as giving you an extra space that could be used for anything from relaxing to working, research reported by Leaders shows that it could add up to 5% more value to your property.
6. Open-plan layouts
Speaking of making the most of space, open-plan layouts have also seen a boost in popularity in 2022 – so much so that there have been 78% more mentions of them in property listings.
In the past, the more rooms your house had, the higher the value. Though, these days, convenience and sociability in a household trump all. Open-plan homes allow families to eat, relax, cook, and clean all in the same space, which would explain why there has been a surge in properties with this feature.
4 property features that have declined in popularity
1. Dining rooms
Some property features have sunk in popularity rather than increased, and dining rooms are one such feature.
Indeed, the shared eating space has seen a 28% decrease in mentions on property listings in the past 10 years. This may be because many more modern space usages, such as an open-plan layout, have taken precedence in recent years.
Also, many families may instead just eat their dinner in the living room watching their favourite TV programme, breaking the tradition of eating around a dining table.
2. Fitted wardrobes
Another perhaps surprising housing feature that has seen a dip in popularity in recent years is fitted wardrobes.
The space-efficient wardrobes have seen a 29% decrease in mentions on property listings. With no real answer as to why they have become less popular in recent years, it may simply be attributed to the fact that they are starting to go out of fashion.
In fact, they have been around since the 1800s, so they’ve had a good innings!
3. Greenhouses
Yet another house feature that is starting to go out of fashion is greenhouses, with a 46% decrease in mentions on property listings.
This may be because greenhouses are expensive to build, or people simply don’t have the time to maintain the plants held within them. Perhaps people would also rather utilise the space in their garden in other ways.
That said, there was a gardening boom in the UK over the Covid lockdowns, so we may yet see greenhouses become more popular in the coming years.
4. Conservatories
Unlike orangeries, which have seen an increase in popularity, conservatories have seen a 52% decrease in mentions on property listings when compared to 10 years ago.
Back in the 80s, conservatories were all the rage. However, these days, people have started to realise that they are either cold over the winter or sweltering over the summer – there is often no in-between.
Besides extreme temperatures, Which? reports that they also tend to leak, have excessive condensation, or have faulty doors and windows, often making them more hassle than they’re worth.
Please note:
This blog is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
