Below is a guest post that discusses what a new home buyer may be looking for in terms of features or upgrades.  S Interior Design has added commentary (shown in italics ) throughout the posting.

What Every Home Buyer Wants

Every new home buyer, has some wishes that he/she looks for before making a step towards buying or owning a home. Different features and factors which include home location, the size of the home and also interior features are mostly common in any buyers wish lists. This determines how willing/interested a buyer will be when it comes to purchasing the home.

Many buyers are willing to spend more money above the price of the home to have certain interior and exterior features put in place. Some of the wishes that every home buyer will look for when buying a home (and something you might want to consider when remodeling or doing home improvements) will include the following:

Stainless steel appliances
Most home buyers prefer having stainless appliances fitted in their homes ranging from doors and other indoor appliances. This is because stainless steel is more attractive and makes the house have an elegant view.

While stainless steel appliances are still desirable, black, slate and even white appliances are becoming more popular.

Security

A well secured home with quality doors and locks will be mostly preferred by home buyers. Good quality and affordable doors can be found with barn door hardware. The hardware offers better quality doors in different designs. They also offer track systems and other door accessories to make sure that your home is well guarded against break-ins. In some homes, break-ins are inevitable and home buyers are looking for homes where a warranty is given in cases of break-ins or wear out. A home warranty is considered as a major component before buying a home.

Key pad entry pads and even wireless entry is now available .

More Bedrooms

Privacy is key in any bedroom and home buyers will prefer a home with more bedrooms which can accommodate more people in case there are visitors. Anyone should feel comfortable sleeping in a bedroom in which there is privacy. A walk-in closet in the bedroom is also a status symbol since most people want to have more clothes, be more organized and on top of that, look presentable.

You can add privacy door sets to any room in which you desire extra privacy.  Every home buyer/home owner has distinct needs.  More is not always better!

More Bathrooms
It’s no doubt that washrooms are a very sensitive area of the house. To maintain hygiene and a healthy lifestyle, washrooms should not be shared among every person who lives  in a house. Therefore, most home buyers will prefer having more bathrooms in their house to maintain hygiene.

Keep in mind more bathrooms mean more bathrooms to clean!

Laundry Room
A place where people can wash, fold clothes and store other laundry materials will be a key factor to anyone who wants to own a home. Laundry rooms help people to keep the mess out of their living room keeping it tidy and homey.

Older homes may have a laundry area or space versus an acutual room.  You need to think about where you will fold your laundry and iron in the house if there is not a dedicated room for that purpose.

More Exterior Lighting

A well designed exterior lighting captures customers’ attention on the first sight. Be it wall lanterns and landscape lights above the ground provides a scenic view which attracts potential buyers before they even get inside a house. The light illuminates paths at night.

Good Kitchen Design (Eat-In Kitchens)
For home buyers, especially those with families, an eat-in kitchen is a must have. This helps people interact during breakfast or dinner since they congregate in the kitchen for their meals. The kitchen should be spacious enough to accommodate a large number of people.

Your specific lifestyle and family make up will help to determine your needs in terms of how large of a space and eating table / area is needed.

A Fireplace

One or more fireplaces may become more popular as speculated. This is because many people spend less time watching TV. A fireplace will be an ideal place where home owners can relax or just share highlights from their day with family or friends.

We have not witnessed this trend.  Our clients are fully committed to having televisions in multiple rooms of their homes.  Fireplaces in dining rooms and bedrooms are are great option along with the more standard living room or great room spaces.

Spacious Garage and Storage Room

The increase in resources results in home buyers looking for spacious storage to accommodate equipment used in homes. For buyers with families, a spacious garage is most likely to have an upper hand since a family may have a number of cars to accommodate in a garage. A seller should ensure garage and other storage rooms are spacious.

Good storage spaces are definitely a plus especially in  areas such as Arizona where basements and storage areas in basements are less commonly available.

Floors /Design
Though carpets are considered to conserve energy and offer a comfortable feeling, they may be hard to clean. Most home buyers who host guests often, prefer hardwood floors, which are durable and easy to clean.

Other hard floor surfaces to consider are laminate, luxury vinyl planks, cork and porcelain tile. 

Home Office

Most people take office work home so that they can work on it either in the evening or during weekends. Buyers may prefer to have a place in the house where work-related documents are kept (e.g. books, laptops and more). Home offices make your work more manageable.

Overwhelming desire for the majority of home owners! Most newly built homes will offer 1 or more options for home office space.
Though the list is endless depending on people’s tastes and preferences, most home buyers are willing to cough up extra money to have their homes customized. In this digital era, a good home should therefore contain modern facilities which are not only attractive, but also act as a status symbol to many.