What spaces matter most to home buyers?

The Home Spaces Buyers Value Most in 2025

When buyers walk through a home, they aren’t giving equal weight to every room. The presence (as well as the location/layout/size) of some spaces shape their decision, while others are considered “nice to have” but not essential. If you’re preparing to sell your home, understanding which rooms matter most to buyers can help you and your agent focus your marketing efforts. Knowing what drives value is key.

Kitchen

The kitchen remains the most important room of the home. Buyers consistently gravitate toward updated, functional kitchens with open layouts, large islands, and plenty of storage. Even if other parts of the house need work, a welcoming kitchen can tip the scales. Everybody has to eat! So whether it’s breakfast, packing lunches, preparing and serving dinner, the kitchen is quintessentially necessary. It’s not just about cooking either—it’s also about navingating daily life and gatherings, which is why this room often ranks highest.

Primary Suite

Next in line for home buyers is the primary suite. Many people are looking for a bedroom that delivers comfort and privacy. It has to be large enough to provide good clothing storage and a luxurious bathroom often seals the deal. While some people like a small sitting area in the bedroom, that “extra” is usually not a make or break deal, especially as it is usually absent in older homes.

Home Office

The pandemic permanently changed how people view home offices, and that preference is here to stay. Buyers may not demand a fully finished office, but they want to see where one could exist. An extra bedroom, loft, or basement that can easily transform into a workspace carries a lot of appeal, especially when mulitple people are working from home. Conversely, home offices, if they can serve as guest bedrooms in a pinch, have become important to buyers. This type of flex space, which can be used for more than one purpose, is in high demand.

Laundry

Laundry location is surprisingly influential. A first-floor or second-floor laundry room is enormously more convenient than carrying baskets up and down the basement stairs. In newer homes, the laundry is almost always located on one of the main living floors. In older houses, it’s harder to find, but if someone has retrofit a small, extra bedroom or somehow carved out another space for it, buyers will sure to notice.

Mudroom / Drop Zone

Mudrooms have become highly valued, especially for households with kids, pets, or lifestyles that revolve around the outdoors/sports. They are especially appealing when located just off the garage and even better if they offer an exit directly to the outdoors. From backpacks to jackets, sports gear, and dog leashes, mudrooms provide a space to organize these items and prevent them from maing the rest of the house messy/dirty.

Playroom / Flex Family Space

Families with young children love having a dedicated playroom, but even buyers without kids want flexibility. If that playroom space could also be a home office, library, craft room, or something else, any bonus area is appreciated. Flex spaces mean that a house not only appeals to a wider variety of needs at the time of purchase, but also that, over time, the house can adapt to a family’s changing needs. What starts as a playroom may become a homework space and then a sewing room over the course of several years.

Outdoor Living

Finally, outdoor living areas carry significant weight in buyers’ decisions. Patios, decks, and usable yards extend living space and create opportunities to entertain, relax, or garden. Even a small but well-designed outdoor area with comfortable seating can make a property more valuable. While some people prefer a front porch and the opportunity to have impromptu short visits with neighbors, others are looking for privacy in their outdoor recreation spaces. Sellers should consider how to best highlight/stage whatever outdoor space they have.

The Takeaway

We are seeing a shift in focus from traditional “supposed to have” spaces, like formal living rooms, to practical ones that make everyday life easier. Open floor plans that encourage easy interaction are the order of the day and flexible spaces that allow for changing needs (whether on a daily basis or over many years) are high on buyers’ lists as well. Unused rooms or spaces that can’t serve a different purpose are falling out of favor and being replaced by more practical, informal, and flexible layouts. With people spending more time at home these days, ever since the pandemic, comfortable outdoor entertaining and relaxing spaces have become much more valued, too.

If you are relocating to the Philadelphia/Main Line area, please go to my blog page and search for posts using the relocation tag. Contact me to discuss your Philadelphia area relocation! jen@jenniferlebow.com/610 308-5973