What are homebuyers’ biggest regret? Majority say amenities — or lack thereof

When dreaming of their perfect home, what are your clients picturing?

Maybe they should be prioritizing the amenities in that dream home. A recent porch.com survey of nearly 1,000 homebuyers found that more than half (58.3%) said their top regret in their purchase is the amenities – or lack thereof – in the home. The second-highest regret was the layout of a home and the third-highest complaint is the location of the home. Nearly 18% of respondents said their biggest regret was not using a real estate agent, while 27.8% regretted using the agent they chose.

Other top regrets include the size of the home, the loan amount taken out for the home and neighbors. Millennials were most likely to regret the layout of their home, while both baby boomers and Generation X, cited amenities as the biggest regret.

According to the responses, the most-wanted amenity was a backyard, with 97.6% of respondents desiring it and 91% reporting they were fortunate to have one with their current home. Central heating was second on the list of wants at nearly 96%, and 90.7% reported it in their current home. Central air was third at 94%, and 82.2% said they have it. Other popular must-have amenities include a walk-in closet, close proximity to work and hardwood floors. Solar panels, a swimming pool and carpet were at the bottom of the list.

It goes without saying that homebuyers can’t always get exactly what they want, and in retrospect, 41% of homebuyers think they should have negotiated for a better price.