Has the Kitchen Become Real Estate's Most Valuable Room?

There's no question that an impressive kitchen can help sell a home, and smart Realtors are emphasizing them in marketing. Realtor.com found that 69% of the homes listed on the website mentioned the kitchen as positive feature, while 49% highighted the bedrooms and 35% focused on the garage. In addition, homes that describe a "luxury" or "killer kitchen" sell 8% sooner that a similarly sized home within the same zip code.

What are the kitchen amenities that add the most value to a listing? Here is what the website found:

Custom cabinetry: 41% (the listing price difference between homes with and without the feature in the same zip code)

• Kitchen island: 30%
• Creative lighting: 21%
• Granite counters: 18%
• Large pantry: 14%
• Stainless-steel appliances: 12%
• Tile backsplash: 7%
• Breakfast bar: 6%

The numbers also point towards agrowing market for the"chef's kitchen." Approximately 4.7% feature a "chef's" or "gourmet kitchen", a figure that is up from 3.3% in 2013. The most common features in a chef's kitchen are: Oversized fridge; commercial quality oven; six-burner cooktop; and butler's pantry.