Happy Friday! And it's another snowy one here in New England!

Since buyers are gold these days, I thought I would focus on what buyers want!

In sitting down the new buyer clients, I always spend an hour or two to listen to their needs. This is crucial work that an attentive buyer agent does- they LISTEN! It's important to ask many questions and determine what lifestyle the buyer has and what are their goals vs. dreams.

There are certainly trends and wants that come up time and time again. I thought I would jot down what I see as the Top 5 things that are important to today's active buyers!

1. Open kitchen/family room!! I cannot stress this enough- the buyers don't want to feel "stuck" in the kitchen when entertaining, and it's also important to families with children.

2. Updated kitchen/bathrooms. Today's buyers are busy young families- many consist of 2 professional parents, so they just don't have the time to take on a renovation.

3. Garage. This winter? Need I say more! :)

4. Quality NOT quantity- the days of the McMansion are waning...buyers want less square footage to heat, clean, maintain and instead prefer many custom details in smaller spaces. A wonderful book on this is The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka.

5. Homes with a "walk to" feature. Over the last few years I have seen a trend towards buyers moving back to town centers. If they can walk to Starbucks or restaurants they are thrilled. Playgrounds, schools are great too! And anything near a bike trail or other conservation draws are popular as well. People want to become LESS dependent on their cars and like the idea of their children having access to recreation on their own.

What will the future bring? What are good improvements that sellers can make now with plans to sell in a few years? Certainly kitchen/family room additions/updates. Also outdoor space is very "cheap" to add but gets a big return, even in our NE climate, so go ahead and add that deck or blue stone patio. I also predict a demand for "In Law setups" down the road, as baby boomers retire and decide that being close to family is more important than those 80 degree days!

What do you think? What is your favorite feature of your home?