What Keywords Are Homebuyers Using When Searching for Homes in Pennsylvania?

When searching for a new home online, what are Pennsylvania house shoppers looking for?

According to realtor.com®, which categorized the top keywords used for search data for homes in Pennsylvania between April and December 2019, the most-searched keyword for Pennsylvania homes was a pool. The second most-searched term was garage, followed by ranch. Rounding out the top 10 were waterfront, lakefront, basement, in-law suite, in-law and fireplace, showing some common trends among Pennsylvania homebuyers. Many want to be near water, whether it natural or built in the yard, and looking for properties that can house multiple generations is becoming increasingly popular.

Parking, the 17th-most searched term for Pennsylvania homebuyers, is “unique” in its popularity across the country, yet is a common search term in the commonwealth. According to a 2019 study, millennials are the generation who want parking as an amenity the most at 60%, followed by Generation X at 59%, both baby boomers and Generation Z at 55% and then the Silent Generation at 49%.

Realtor.com® found that across the U.S. the most popular search terms were pools, water views and storage space. Many Americans are also searching for features that can include additional housing for other generations, like granny pods, along with housing extracurricular activities, like man-caves and she-sheds, the report found. Additionally, there has been an uptick in searching for one-level homes, especially as baby boomers age and downsize, search terms such as ranch, single-level, rambler and first-floor master are increasingly common.