Zillow Just Revealed the Home Features That Are Most—and Least—Attractive to Buyers Right Now

April is one of the most popular times of year to list a home—and if you're preparing yours for the market, you are likely looking for ways to increase its resale value. Whether you're planting flowers to enhance curb appeal or adding unique features like smart home technology, there are plenty of projects that can both help and hinder your property's market value.

To assist you in getting your home ready for the market, Zillow recently released a report of the features that increase and diminish buyer appeal. To obtain their findings, the real estate website analyzed 271 features and design terms in listing descriptions across nearly 2 million home sales in 2022. From there, they were able to determine which features today's buyers are looking for in a home.

According to Zillow's findings, kitchen-related amenities are most attractive to home buyers right now, with steam ovens being the hottest of the bunch. The cooking feature, which uses steam instead of hot air or oil to cook food, contributed to the top sale premium of 5.3 percent. Other chef-friendly amenities to consider include pizza ovens and professional-grade appliances. These features can add up to about $17,400 on a typical U.S. home.

Despite these learnings, Zillow notes that installing one of these kitchen features solely for resale may not deliver the return on investment you're looking for. Instead, it's best to highlight these home amenities if you have them, as they are the features today's buyer associate with a "nice house."

On the other hand, the home feature that can diminish your home's resale value is tile countertops. Zillow found that homes with tile countertops can sell for 1.1 percent less than expected. Additionally, laminate is another material to avoid when trying to enhance buyer appeal—homes with laminate flooring or countertops can sell for 0.6 percent less than similar homes without them.