Selling your home? These 3 popular summer home features that buyers will pay extra for.
Outdoor showers garner the highest listing premium, while barbecues, backyard pools, fireplaces and fire pits add to the home value. According to a new nationwide analysis conducted by Realtor.com—The Home of Home Search—properties that offer amenities geared toward summer activities have major appeal for buyers. In fact, homes with summer features often are listed with at least 10 percent higher prices than similar homes in the same state. The summer features correlating with the highest price per square foot boost when compared with similar homes without these features? Outdoor showers (with a 97 percent price per square foot premium), barbecues (26 percent), entertainer’s pool or spa (26 percent), fire pits or outdoor fireplaces (25 percent) and zoned sprinklers (21 percent). Here, a closer look at the top summer features desired by homebuyers.
Outdoor showers
Mentions of outdoor showers are associated with the largest listing-price premiums of any feature analyzed. This is probably, in part, because they typically indicate waterfront property or extra amenities. Homes with outdoor showers tend to list for nearly double the asking price per square foot of other homes.
Barbecues, fireplaces and fire pits
The most popular summer-fun listing feature is a barbecue grill. Barbecues are mentioned in nearly 9.6 percent of U.S. listings, and are most popular in Arizona and California where they appear in 15.8 and 9.5 percent of listings, respectively. Homes with barbecues are 26 percent more expensive than similar homes without them.
Entertainer’s pool or spa
Homes that offer pools with space for friends and family to hang out nearby—known as an “entertainer’s pool”— are listed 26 percent higher than similar homes without the feature. Entertainer pools are most popular in Florida, where they were mentioned in more than 3 percent of listings. California, Arizona, and Hawaii follow closely, with mentions in a little more than 2 percent of listings.