Today’s homebuyers are willing to pay more for homes with bold, nature-inspired design choices. New Zillow® research finds that homes with statement finishes and natural materials such as herringbone-patterned floors, soapstone and onyx, or Venetian plaster walls sell for as much as 3.5 percent more than expected. That’s an additional $12,500 on a typical U.S. home.
“Organic modernism is the new modern farmhouse,” said Amanda Pendleton, home trends expert for Zillow. “The contemporary look of homes today is characterized by natural stone, wood flooring and cabinetry, and textured walls. Buyers are seeking out and competing for homes with these raw but refined finishes, and that’s pushing up sale prices.”
The research stated that homes with white oak floors sell for 3.2 percent more and for 2.6 percent more with herringbone floors.
A previous Zillow report showed remodeled homes commanded the highest sale premiums of all the keywords analyzed, selling for nearly 4 percent more than expected (3.7 percent). Buyers appear willing to pay more upfront for a move-in-ready home rather than take out a higher-interest loan or pay cash to cover the rising costs of a renovation.
Zillow conducted this analysis by looking for the presence of more than 350 listing keywords across more than 2 million homes listed for sale in 2024. Sale price premiums were calculated by comparing the home’s final sale price with its the pre-listing Zestimate, controlling for factors such as the home’s age, size, and when it was listed.
Homeowners looking to sell for top dollar this spring will want to highlight these home features in their listing if they’ve got them. Keep in mind that this analysis did not examine the ROI of installing any of these individual features solely for resale.