Wood flooring is among the top 10 home features most desired by home buyers, according to a survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
The survey had 4,000 home buyers rank 175 features based on how essential they were for them to have in a house. Wood flooring ranked ninth, with 31 percent of respondents ranking it as "Essential/Must have" and 52 percent ranking it as "Desirable."
Other top features included garage storage, walk-in pantries, a patio and exterior lighting.
Farmhouse styles with large amounts of wood was also cited as a rising home trend in the survey.
Housing size has trended smaller than in previous years, both in housing size desired by respondents to the NAHB survey and in construction. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2018, the average home size was 4.2 percent smaller than in 2015, falling from an average 2,689 square feet to 2,576 square feet. Fewer homes also have four or more bedrooms since 2016.
"Builders are trying to meet demand where it's hottest, and that is at the lower price points," stated Rose Quint, AVP of survey research at NAHB. "To that end, they are building more townhomes and smaller detached homes. Townhomes take up less land, and that automatically brings the price down."
The full NAHB home buyers survey can be purchased for $149.95 here.
