When buyers look at homes today, their expectations are elevated by residences they see on HGTV and in well-appointed model homes. Clients will look to you as their Realtor® to advise them on which trends are on their way in, which are on their way out and how an older home can be modified to add a splash of modern style.

"Even when people are not living in a 'multigen' household now, they want to prepare for that possibility." - Genevieve Concannon, Advon Real Estate

Sellers want a Realtor® to help prepare their homes to attract the most buyers without overspending – and possibly reducing their profit.

“People will pay more for better design,” says Sherif Abdalla, a vice president and Realtor® with Compass in Washington, D.C. who sells luxury properties in Arlington, McLean and the District. “They want more open space inside and outdoor space where they can entertain.”

Abdalla says he sees a shift in buyers today away from a “bigger is better” aesthetic and more toward a smaller house and a smaller lot – but only if the home offers an open kitchen and family room, a play area for their kids and a comfortable master bedroom.

“Buyers are moving away from traditional floor plans and want a loftlike open space even in the suburbs,” says Jayson Wingfield, a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Arlington. “Some people like to combine a more formal floor plan at the front of the house with a dining room and living room or office with an open floor plan at the back of the house.”

While reconfiguring a floor plan may not always be feasible, Realtors® can help their clients recognize trends and incorporate some modern design elements into their homes before or after a transaction or when building a new home.

11 HOME DESIGN TRENDS TO WATCH

Realtors® and design experts say some of the trends they’ve noticed in new homes and newly remodeled homes in Northern Virginia include:

1. Functionality built into every niche.

Buyers today want to see every bit of dead space in the house made functional, says Liz Lucchesi, a Realtor® with Long & Foster Real Estate in Alexandria.

“If you can turn a corner into an office or computer space or even just add shelving for collectibles, that can attract buyers,” says Lucchesi. “Some people are even willing to take away a little garage space to add a mudroom or storage closet,” she added.

Buyers of older houses in Arlington expand their storage in every room as much as they can, says Wingfield.

“For some buyers, a house without a walk-in pantry is a deal breaker,” he says. “People want a butler’s pantry for extra storage and pull-out cabinets for trash cans if they can find a place for them.”

Mina Fies, CEO of Synergy Design and Construction in Reston, says her customers want built-in shelving, cubbies and hooks in the mudroom and laundry room to help organize everything.

If sellers can stage their garage entry with storage or add shelves to their laundry room, this could entice buyers looking for functional space.

2. Flex space for changing family structures.

About 64 million Americans live in multigenerational households, according to the Pew Research Center.

“Even when people are not living in a ‘multigen’ household now, they want to prepare for that possibility,” says Genevieve Concannon, broker of Advon Real Estate in Falls Church. “A lot of people are adding a full bathroom on the main level adjacent to an office, so they have the option of turning that into a bedroom suite in the future for themselves or a family member.”

Lucchesi says she’s seeing kitchens designed to accommodate young children and older adults, as well as bathrooms with accessible features, such as grab bars and stepless shower entries, that seamlessly blend into the design.

“Finished attics or finished space above the garage for flex space can be used for entertainment, a playroom or an in-law suite,” says Wingfield.

3. Elevators not just for super-luxury homes anymore.

“Forward-thinking builders are putting in elevators or at least creating an elevator-ready space so one can be added later,” says Concannon. “What’s interesting is that these are homes being built at attainable price points, not just places priced over $1 million,” she continued. Buying an elevator-ready house allows for future flexibility for aging-in-place and offers convenience for people of all ages, according to Concannon.

"Younger buyers in particular want smart home features that they can control with an app on their phone." -Bill Hoffman, Keller Williams Realty.

4. Hardscaping for the back yard.

“People are spending a lot of money on their outdoor space, even on a one-fourth acre lot in Alexandria,” says Lucchesi. “They’re investing money in hardscaping, fancy fences, lighting, irrigation and outdoor fireplaces and pizza ovens.”

Abdalla says most of his customers want outdoor space, but they don’t want a yard to take care of or a deck that needs maintenance.

“They want a patio or terrace with tile or stone, a fire pit, an outdoor kitchen and room to entertain outside,” says Abdalla.

Staging a yard with a fire pit can help buyers visualize the outdoor lifestyle they crave.

5. Light color palettes throughout the house.

Everyone wants white and gray kitchens with stainless-steel appliances, says Bill Hoffman, a Realtor® with the Hoffman Real Estate Group with Keller Williams Realty in McLean. He says soft gray hardwood floors are also popular.

“Lighter hardwood floors and wide-plank hardwood are popular now, along with light gray paint colors throughout the house,” says Concannon. “In the kitchen, everyone seems to be choosing quartzite counters that are light and look like marble but are much more durable. Anything a seller can do to make their home look fresh and clean and light will help it sell, as long as it’s not beyond the scope of the other homes in the neighborhood.”

White Shaker-style cabinets are a continuing trend, says Fies, but some of her clients are finding ways to implement color in their “forever” homes such as a different color on the island or adding some blue cabinets along with white cabinets.

“Everything is lighter right now, including the floors, the cabinets and the counters,” says Fies.

6. Top-of-the-line, but not always smart, appliances required even for non-chefs.

“The six-burner range has now become the eightburner range for foodies,” says
Lucchesi. “They want everything to be bigger and better in the kitchen, including pastry-height counters. They’re looking for energy-efficient appliances and some of them want smart appliances, especially the refrigerator.”

Fies says most of her clients are more interested in pretty finishes in the kitchen than in smart appliances. She says some think connected appliances could be a passing fad and prefer not to invest too much money in them. “Most people just want high-end, name-brand appliances even though less and less people cook,” says Abdalla.

7. Bigger is better for kitchen islands and back splashes.

Buyers love kitchen islands and the trend is to make them as large as possible. Larger homes sometimes have two islands.

“People use their islands for entertaining and as a dining table,” says Wingfield.

Buyers and homeowners are looking for clean lines and low maintenance living, says Fies, which is one reason more people are adding full-height backsplashes of quartzite or large-size tiles that require less grout.

“Three recent clients chose Calacatta Gold quartz that looks like marble for both their island and their backsplash,” says Fies.

8. Recessed lighting to avoid disrupting sightlines.

Chandeliers are basically gone, says Christine Richardson, a Realtor® with Weichert, Realtors® in Great Falls.

“Buyers don’t seem to want them in the dining room or the breakfast room. I think this is partly because a chandelier forces the room to be used for eating – reducing the flexibility of the floor plan,” says Richardson. “Also, so often the chandelier isn’t exactly in the right place depending on the shape and size of the table.”

Richardson says recessed lighting is replacing chandeliers and even pendant lights over the kitchen island to avoid breaking up the visual line and open feel of the house. Replacing a chandelier with recessed lighting can be an inexpensive project that creates flexibility for buyers.

9. Tiles take over.

While buyers want clean lines and everything light and bright, the abundance of available tiles fosters self-expression and personalization in bathrooms and
backsplashes.

“I see a lot of Carrara marble, mosaics and herringbone patterned tiles on shower walls and backsplashes,” says Wingfield.

Fies says homeowners use bold and patterned tiles on the floor and sometimes the walls of their laundry rooms.

“People tell me they want the laundry room to feel special so they don’t feel the drudgery of doing laundry as much,” says Fies.

10. Powder rooms and master baths get upgrades.

Rainfallshowerheads have been in vogue for years, but Hoffman says new ones are available that can change color based on the water temperature or be programmed with an app.

“Buyers prefer a large double-shower to a whirlpool tub,” says Richardson. “If a bath tub is provided, the trend is for a freestanding tub, which takes up a lot less space than the tubs set into a tile platform. It’s also a cleaner, sleeker look.”

In luxury homes, more buyers are choosing a “wet room” layout with a freestanding tub inside a glass shower enclosure.

“It’s a European concept and popular in Japan, too, to have both the shower and the tub set inside a large glass enclosure,” says Concannon. Heated floors are also a popular upgrade for master baths, says Abdalla.

Modern style is trendy in a powder room even if the rest of the home is a little more traditional, says Fies. “Homeowners are adding floating vanities to make the room feel more spacious and then adding tile on the walls or wallpaper for an unexpected look,” says Fies.

11. App-controlled smart home features.

“Younger buyers in particular want smart home features that they can contro with an app on their phone,” says Hoffman. “Those with a bigger budget are more likely to want things like the custom house I saw recently that automatically turns on all the lights when your car tires hit the driveway.”

Families with young kids are interested in security cameras, says Abdalla, but they prefer a wireless arrangement for their music because those systems are flexible and affordable.

Concannon says buyers are most likely to be interested in smart home features they’re familiar with, such as a Ring doorbell system or a Nest thermostat, both of which are items sellers can easily install to attract buyers.

While some builders prewire a home for smart features, the abundance of wireless options means the prewiring is less necessary, says Fies.

“In older homes that have a whole system for speakers and an intercom already wired, we can bring in an AV person and connect that system to 21st century technology, which can be an advantage when selling,” says Fies.

While contemporary homes may never dominate in the mostly traditional D.C. region, modern elements can be incorporated into new and existing homes to fit changing lifestyles and tastes. As preferences evolve, Realtors® should keep in mind that even in design trends, less can be more. Ultimately, the blending of function and f lare can improve the appeal of a client’s home.