With Thanksgiving on the way, many are preparing for the ultimate stress test of their kitchens. When hosting grand galas or simply preparing a few extravagant appetizers for a Friendsgiving celebration, it helps to have kitchen elements that can not only support heavy workloads, but also support the homeowner. And it seems as though certain types of features we may associate with increasing health and wellness in the kitchen can also increase home value.
“The kitchen has long been the heart of the home and it’s become even more important this past year,” says Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert, “As a result, pandemic-era home buyers appear willing to pay a premium for high-end kitchen amenities. Homeowners who plan to put their home on the market would be wise to flaunt these features if they’ve got them. But resale aside, these value-boosting features also increase a kitchen’s functionality, especially during the holidays.”
Steam Oven
Of all the features the Zillow team researched, steam ovens topped the list. The unique appliance not only serves as a trendy piece of technology in a home, it also provides a healthy alternative to a microwave. And when it’s on a the home feature list, those homes often sell for 4.9% more than similar homes without one.
“Steam — usually combined with convection — fuels a powerful cooking appliance that can enhance a kitchen designed for wellness,” says Jamie Gold, author of Wellness by Design. “A combi-steam oven offers health benefits and functionality. It cooks food with reduced fat and better-preserved nutrients, and allows home cooks to multitask and get food on the table quickly. This popular appliance type will perfectly cook protein, vegetable sides and pie at the same time.”
Smart Appliances
Connected appliances are a crucial lifeline for the multitasker. Not only do they offer ease of use and greater flow in a kitchen, but they also deliver considerable peace of mind. Nowadays, smart refrigerators can even alert homeowners of when food items have expired, or are about to help combat food waste. Cooking appliances can track when food has been fully cooked and then switch off to conserve energy.
As such, they’re seen as dealmakers for many homebuyers, with homes containing them selling for 3% more than expected.
Quartz
It’s durable. It’s easy to maintain. And it’s anti-microbial, an especially salient feature in the post-COVID era. However, aside from being a functional powerhouse, the addition of Quartz countertops in a home also deliver a natural splash to a space, mixing rough-hewn stony aesthetics with the simple brilliance of crystalline luster. Homes with this element in it often sell for 3.2% more than expected.
Pot Filler
Installed over a cooktop or range, a pot filler really lives up to its name. It’s a tool that really minimizes on the chaos that comes with cooking at times. Instead of running back and forth between sink and stove, a homeowner need only swing out the faucet head and fill up at the stove, centralizing all action in the kitchen to where it needs to be.
According to Zillow research, this faucet can contribute to homes selling for 1.5% more.
Touchless Faucet
With health and safety top of mind for today’s buyers, homes with touchless faucets can sell nearly two days faster than expected and for 0.6% more, according to Gold. Less points of contact means less opportunities for bacteria to take root, especially when someone needs to clean up after working with raw meat.
Of course, Pendleton notes that there’s a lot more that can factor into the speed and value of a home’s sale, and while installing these elements may help, they’re certainly not a guarantee. Instead, these features simply reflect what homebuyers are looking for in a home, in turn causing their overall willingness to buy go up when they spot one in a listing.
