If You Were Selling Today, Would You Have the Home Buyers Want?

Knowing what appeals to todays homebuyers, and considering those trends when you remodel, can pay off years from now when you sell your home. Two new surveys about what homebuyers want have me feeling pretty smug about my own home choices. Maybe youll feel the same.

Privacy from neighbors remains at the top of the most-wanted list (important to 86% of buyers), according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS(R) 2013 Community Preference Survey. Privacy is no doubt the best feature of my mid-century ranch home, since I can only see one neighbors house and its a couple hundred feet down my driveway.

It may not be practical to move your neighbors farther away (although Im sure many people wish they had that superpower), but you can increase your homes privacy (and therefore its resale value) by planting a living privacy screen of trees and shrubs or by physically screening off your patio.

3 More Takeaways for the Next Time You Remodel

1. More and more generations are living together. Another NAR survey, the 2013 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, found 14% of buyers purchased a home suited to a multigenerational household due to children over the age of 18 moving back into the house, cost savings, and the health and caretaking of aging parents.

I did that back when my parents were still alive, and it worked out great for everyone. I didnt have time to let my infant daughter nap on my shoulder all afternoon, but my mom did. She couldnt drive to church meetings at night, but I could take her. And neither of us liked cleaning the gutters, but my husband didnt mind that chore.

Even if youd rather live in a cardboard box than with your mother, you might want to consider the multigenerational living trend when youre remodeling. For instance, opting for a full bath when finishing the basement could offer more convenience for you now and boost your homes resale value by making it more appealing to a multigenerational family.

2. On average, homeowners live in their home for nine years. Thats up from six years in 2007. Since youll be in your home for a long time, it makes sense to remodel to suit your taste but also with long-lasting marketability in mind. After all, you dont want to have to redo stuff. For instance, you can go for trend-defying kitchen features, like white overtones and Shaker-style cabinets, which work with a variety of styles.

I feel compelled to caution against going so far out of the norm for your neighborhood that itll turn off potential buyers even nine years from now. (It never hurts to get your REALTOR(R)s opinion on your remodeling plans.)

3. Homebuyers love energy efficiency. Heating and cooling costs were somewhat or very important to a whopping 85% of buyers. If your home could use an energy-efficiency upgrade, go with projects that have a solid return on investment, like sealing your air leaksand adding attic insulation. Youll save money on your utility bills now and when youre ready to sell, your home will appeal to buyers looking for efficiency.

By the way, to take back your energy bills, you need to do at least four things. One to two fixes wont cut it, thanks to rising energy costs.

About two-thirds of survey respondents also thought energy-efficient appliances and energy-efficient lighting were important. Tuck away your manuals and energy-efficiency information when you buy new appliances and lighting. When youre ready to sell (in nine years) you can pull those out and display them where buyers will see them.

Dona DeZube has been writing about real estate for more than two decades. She lives in a suburban Baltimore Midcentury modest home on a 3-acre lot shared with possums, raccoons, foxes, a herd of deer, and her blue-tick hound.