The FINANCIAL — While timing is certainly important, a home’s listing description can also have a significant impact on its final sale price. For-sale listings mentioning keywords like “steam shower,” “professional appliances” or “heated floors” can sell for up to 29 percent more than expected, according to Zillow’s 2018 Home Features that Sell analysisi.
Zillow analyzed listing descriptions from nearly four million homes nationwide that sold between January 2016 and December 2017 to see how certain keywords referring to home features, amenities and design styles impacted their sale price.
Listings mentioning “steam showers,” an enclosed shower that can also be used as a steam room, saw the highest sale premium of all the keywords analyzed – selling for 29 percent above expected values. Other spa or wellness-focused home features like “meditation room” or “free-standing tub” were also found in top-performing listings.
Homes touting “professional appliances” and other unique chef-friendly amenities like “pizza oven,” “outdoor kitchen” or “prep sink” also sold for a premium.
“While everyone has different style preferences, when it’s time to sell, being specific and strategic with your home’s listing description can have a big financial payoff,” says Jeremy Wacksman, Zillow’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Homes with spa-inspired bathrooms, chef-like kitchen amenities and certain craftsman or farmhouse features are very popular among today’s buyers. If you have these features in your home, try to highlight them in listing photos and descriptions as it may help catch a future buyer’s eye.”
While there are a variety of reasons a home may sell faster or for more money than expected, understanding what’s popular among buyers can also help homeowners thinking about remodeling. For example, for-sale listings touting “new carpets” saw no boost in sale price, but listings mentioning “hardwood floors” sold for a 10 percent premium while those with “herringbone patterned floors” sold for as much as 21 percent more than expected.
