Luxury Homes: What’s Trending?

With a robust local real estate already predicted for 2014, home buyers are already hitting the streets, scheduling showings and visiting open houses.  Besides “move-in-ready” – the buzzword of the last few years – what are they looking for?

The easiest place to spot new design trends is in the high-end home.  They tend to be renovated most often, and with all the latest bells and whistles.  To discover which amenities luxury homebuyers can expect to find in today’s market, one place to look is the Real Estate Lab Report,  which recently studied a couple of years’ worth of luxury listings to see what features were trending up and down. 

According to the report, luxurious master bathrooms are more popular than ever before, and natural stone floors are also featured prominently in listing brochures.  Not all high-end features receive the same attention in all parts of the country.  Here in New England, house hunters have their own wish lists.  Open-air space with gorgeous built-in barbecues and kitchens are being highlighted.  Pool houses/guest houses with entertainment rooms are also desired outdoor amenities.

Fitness areas, for today’s busy professionals or even stay-at-home parents, are also being emphasized more often.  Both in-home gyms, yoga rooms and sports courts gained popularity in the last year in the luxury market, but an even more upward-trending amenity? – the wine room.  Multiple listings in the Metro-West area right now have dedicated spaces for your favorite chateaus.   

An open floor plan, though, is the biggest trend.  Small “nook-and-cranny” spaces do not match up with today’s lifestyle.  Formal living rooms have been transformed into family rooms and interior walls have been taken down to give a more expansive feel to tight spaces.  Formal libraries are now being converted into social gathering rooms with built-in bars and flat screen TVs.  Homework rooms and open theatres are often located off the children’s bedrooms to integrate entertainment with practical living. 

That said, upscale kitchens are still an integral selling point and an important room in the house.  Cook’s kitchens with the latest appliances with large pantries and breakfast rooms are essential.  Spacious mud rooms with plenty of storage and heated garages are expected in the luxury market. 

What’s behind these trends in luxury listings?  One factor is a shift in where luxury homes are for sale.  Condos and more urban settings are less likely to have some of the previously popular features, and vice-versa.

But, when searching for the perfect place to live, one thing is clear: most buyers look at the collective picture – and they just “know” the right home to buy when they see it.  A professional real estate agent will help narrow down the choices for their clients and make sure the house they purchase contains the features most important to them.

Amy Mizner is a principal at the real estate firm of Benoit Mizner Simon & Co. (BMS).  Mizner and her partner Sheryl Simon have been the top-selling team in Weston for more than a decade.  At BMS, which has offices in Weston and Wellesley, Mizner and her team work to provide a fresh approach, and a highly professional experience for all clients.