Americans list their ideal home features

They want to live by the water.

According to a recent survey from Porch.com, the majority of Americans, when given a choice, would prefer to live on a waterfront property. But if they can’t be waterside, other popular locations include homes with a view of a coast, city or hills or raised elevation and mountains. Not surprisingly, most Americans (50.8 percent) would prefer a suburban location, followed by a rural area and then urban.

Americans also want bigger homes. According to the survey, the ideal home is four bedrooms, three bathrooms and nearly 5,000 square feet. Hands down, the most popular amenity is central air conditioning, with nearly 80 percent of survey respondents naming it as a must-have. A deck and laundry on the first or second floor were also popular features requested by homebuyers.

In the bedroom, the top feature wanted by consumers is a walk-in closet for the master bedroom, followed by an ensuite master bath and a balcony. Additionally, carpeting tops wood for flooring in the bedroom. In the kitchen, granite is the king at 42.1 percent, followed by marble at 28.7 percent. In the same space, tile floors are preferred by the majority, with wood being the second most popular. Across the home, wood is the most popular type of flooring at 49 percent, followed by carpet at 29.3 percent and tile at 19.7 percent.

On the outside, ranch homes are the most popular type, followed by farmhouse style and craftsman. The most popular exterior was brick, followed by stone and then wood.