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The value of a single-family home depends not only on its physical features but also on its location and neighborhood context. In this second part of our two-part series, we examine how geography and neighborhood quality further influence single-family detached home values across the United States. Not surprisingly, location remains one of the strongest drivers of home values (Figure 2). Homes in a big metropolitan area are valued 60% higher than comparable homes in non-metro areas, while those in smaller or midsized metro areas are 22% more.

Home values also vary significantly across Census Divisions. Using New England as the baseline, homes in the Pacific Divisions, including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, are valued around 35% higher values on average. By contrast, homes in the rest of the divisions show substantially lower values relative to New England. Homes in the East South Central and West South Central divisions are more than 60% lower in value, while those in the Middle Atlantic are about 30% lower. In the East North Central and West North Central Divisions, home values are roughly 47% and 46% lower, respectively. Homes in the South Atlantic are 39% lower, and those in the Mountain Division are about 19% lower.

People are willing to pay a premium for a better neighborhood. This analysis shows that a higher overall neighborhood quality rating, measured on a 1 to 10 scale, contributes about a 2% increase in home value for every 1-point rise (Figure 3). For example, moving from a neighborhood rated 5 to one rated 7 could increase your home value by 4%.

On the other end, the impact of specific negative conditions is substantial (Figure 4). Homes located near abandoned or vandalized buildings have 17% lower values. Additionally, the presence of visible trash nearby reduces home values by 8%. Improving the broader neighborhood environment could have as much impact on the final home value as upgrades inside the home.

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The value of a single-family home is shaped by many factors, but its physical features remain among one of the most influential. Using the latest 2023 American Housing Survey (AHS), this study focuses on which home features genuinely boost single-family detached home values and by how much. Key findings show that the overall square footage of the home and the number of bathrooms stand out as especially strong value drivers, while other features such as the number of bedrooms and the presence of amenities also play a role.

In this first part of our two-part blog series, we focus on the physical features of single-family homes. The second part will explore how location and neighborhood quality further influence home values across the United States.

Home size is one of the strongest value drivers in today’s housing market, as shown in Figure 1. Compared with smaller homes under 1,000 sq. ft., homes between 1,000 and 2,000 sq. ft. are valued about 17% higher. Moving up to homes between 2,000-3,000 sq. ft. increases value by around 30%, while homes with 3,000 sq. ft. or more adds 55% more to the market value.  These effects are measured after accounting for differences in region, age of structure, and other key features.

While both the number of bathrooms and bedrooms contribute to single-family home values, the number of bathrooms has a larger impact. Each additional full bathroom increases home value by approximately 32%, compared to about 5% for an additional bedroom, holding the square footage and other features constant. Even a half bathroom brings meaningful returns, adding an estimated 15%.

The age of the home is also a contributing factor to the final market value, even after accounting for other features and neighborhood conditions. Compared to homes built before 2010, homes built between 2010 and 2019 have 13% higher values, and homes built after 2020 are valued 19% higher. These premiums likely reflect improvements in energy efficiency, insulation, and modern building systems that are appealing to more buyers.

Other amenities also bring solid returns, like garages, fireplaces, and centralized air conditioning. Garages add around 10% to home value; Besides a protected parking space, garages offer the flexibility for additional storage or turning it into a workshop/hobby space.  Having a fireplace can add value to a home, increasing its value by around 10%. It is appealing to some home buyers, as it not only provides a cozy ambiance, but also could reduce heating costs in some regions. Centralized AC adds about 7% to home value nationwide, but its impact varies across the divisions. In the South, including the South Atlantic, East South Central, and West South divisions, centralized AC adds 23%, 40%, and 48% more values, respectively.

Please click here to be redirected to the full special study.



This article was originally published by a eyeonhousing.org . Read the Original article here. .



This Charlotte, North Carolina, couple loved their home and their neighborhood but found that their first-floor plan was no longer working well for their growing family.

“They have two young boys and a dog and they wanted one big space where they could all hang out as a family,” says interior designer Jena Bula. “They also wanted to really live in this space, so we made it family-friendly by using highly durable fabrics, eliminating hard corners and providing ample storage.”

The project involved a full remodel of the kitchen, family room, sun porch and a few adjacent areas. Using Houzz Pro, Bula combined the existing family room and sun porch, added a new fireplace and built-ins, opened a wall between the new family room and kitchen and reworked the spaces connecting the kitchen and garage. The result is a series of rooms that are highly functional and family-friendly yet also refined.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Stock Your Bar and Pantry

While big gatherings are going to have their own grocery lists, keep your bar and pantry well-stocked for surprise visits and impromptu get-togethers.

For your bar or bar cart, think about warming liqueurs, winter cocktails and boozy coffees in addition to your usual selection. Be sure to provide low- or no-alcohol versions of favorite drinks.

To make life easier, consider serving charcuterie or cheese boards, bowls of roasted nuts and quick dinners made with pantry staples.

Keep snacks, coffee, tea and sugar on hand. If you’re an avid baker, make sure you have what you need to whip up a batch of cookies. If that’s not a hobby, packaged snacks kept on hand are just as good for welcoming guests.

Get Organized for Holiday Baking



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



This adventurous family of five bought a lovely 2-acre property in Dover, Massachusetts, and embarked on building a new home. Though the owners were coming from a house with traditional style, they kept an open mind when they hired Flavin Architects to design their dream home.

“At first they thought they might want a modern farmhouse, but they weren’t stuck on that,” architect Colin Flavin says. As he learned more about the family’s lifestyle and the steeply sloped site, a design for a modern home began to take shape. He embraced the slope and the south-facing backyard by organizing the floor plan around a beautiful back courtyard. The result is an inviting, quiet and light-filled modern home.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Shannon Tate InteriorsSave Photo
2. Add Decorative Wood Paneling and Trim

Crown molding, picture rails, wainscoting, hand-hewn banisters and balusters and other decorative trim brought dimension and artisanal flair to older homes. Beyond their beauty, these details often served practical purposes, including concealing imperfect seams and protecting plaster walls from scuffs and dents. While modern materials and construction methods make those functions less necessary, trim and paneling still provide a sense of craftsmanship and permanence that can instantly add character to a new build.

Your home’s architecture offers cues for the decorative trim that will suit it best. Victorians and Colonial Revival moldings tended to be taller and more ornate, for example, whereas Craftsman homes often kept trims simpler and chunkier, with visible joinery. These broader architectural styles can be broken down even further into subsets with their own signature details, so it’s important to be on the same page with your designer or architect about which style you’re after and carry it through the house for consistency.



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Mark Design Co.Save Photo
8. Curves and Sculptural Forms

Curves are making a strong comeback, whether in furniture, cabinetry, tile or mirrors. Fluted finishes, curved sofas and bubble silhouettes soften hard angles, add sculptural interest and create a sense of calm. These rounded forms also bring visual flow and comfort.

“Furniture and decor are taking on more sculptural shapes,” designer Whitney Ray of Wyeth Ray Interiors says. “From curved sofas to asymmetrical mirrors and stone tables with softened edges, these forms add visual interest while evoking a sense of calm and connection to nature. This trend bridges art and function, often blurring the line between furniture and sculpture.”

In this Los Angeles living room by Mark Design, curvy furniture, organic-shaped mirrors, a ribbed coffee table and arched console accessories highlight the trend. The shapes, palette and boucle sofa fabric also contribute to the room’s organic modern style.



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A young couple in Cambridge, England, set out to refresh their traditional home with a clean, modern sensibility while preserving its character. Inspired by the original flagstone floors and the owners’ love of Japandi style, designer Georgina Robertson, who uses Houzz Pro, created a kitchen with a large island, a warm wood storage wall, sleek gray-blue base cabinets and layered textures. Glass-front units, skylights and a thoughtful mix of lighting keep the space open and bright.

Elsewhere, a breakfast area features arched niches with custom shelving and storage, a family room shows off a refinished floor and updated fireplace, and the living room brings energy with coral sofas and a cushioned window seat. A redesigned study, utility room and bike storage add efficiency and order throughout.

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This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



This empty-nest couple in California turned to designer Lori Ramsay to help reimagine the basic white kitchen in the wife’s Mediterranean-style childhood home, located in a San Diego master-planned community. Their goal was to honor cherished memories while improving function, storage and style in the 125-square-foot space. Ramsay kept the original footprint mostly intact but elevated the design with white-and-wood cabinetry, brass hardware, and countertops and a backsplash in striking white granite with bold veining and forest green crystals. A new peninsula adds storage, seating and a workstation sink, while the former breakfast area now houses a glamorous bar with glass-and-brass shelving.

Before Photo

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo

“After” photos by Elizabeth Patton Photography

Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: An empty-nest couple
Location: San Diego
Size: 125 square feet (11.6 square meters)
Designer: Lori Ramsay Design

Before: The nearly all-white kitchen included a short peninsula, white appliances, white solid-surface counters and basic cabinetry without hardware. A cove ceiling added to the dated look. “The cove ceiling was something I wanted to remove, but the budget wouldn’t allow it,” Ramsay says.

While the layout created an efficient work triangle between the sink, range and refrigerator, a small microwave above the range lacked proper ventilation, and the bulky refrigerator jutted into the walkway. “The kitchen functioned very well,” Ramsay says. “The primary concern was that the whole thing was dated and didn’t have style. This homeowner has great taste and the dated kitchen didn’t reflect her personality.” The wood-look laminate floor offered a visual break from all the white but was worn and ready for replacement.

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
After: Ramsay mostly retained the original footprint. “Every time you move something like plumbing and gas lines, it adds to the expense,” she says. She also kept the cove ceiling but had the rest of the kitchen completely gutted and rebuilt. The upper cabinets and trim are painted a warm white (Pure White by Sherwin-Williams), which contrasts beautifully with the stained rift-cut white oak lower cabinets. The two-tone combination adds depth and warmth, while rich brass pulls tie the look together. “They didn’t have adequate storage before,” Ramsay says. “We increased storage capacity and accessibility by converting lower cabinets to all drawers.”

A soft white wall and ceiling color with warm khaki undertones (Neutral Ground by Sherwin-Williams) creates a cozy backdrop that helps the cabinetry stand out. Polished Alpine granite, with bold ebony, graphite and gray veining and forest green crystals, forms the countertops and slab backsplash, adding color, movement and drama. “That was the kickoff for the kitchen,” Ramsay says. “She found that slab and fell in love with it, and that informed all the other decisions.”

Cabinetry hardware: Erika pull in warm brass, Atlas Homewares

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Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
A white 30-inch, slide-in, dual-fuel smart range with double ovens has a 36-inch custom hood designed to coordinate with the upper cabinetry. The hood liner has LED lighting and a powerful blower that keeps odors and smoke from drifting into surrounding spaces. A white oak band brings the warmth of the lower cabinetry to the hood. “Creating the hood as a focal point elevates the design and increases functionality,” Ramsay says. “And by making the hood at least 6 inches larger, it gives the cook room and gives the hood more presence.”

In addition to the lights inside the hood, the kitchen also includes updated LED ceiling lights and undercabinet lights over task areas.

Range: Café; range hood insert: Monsoon Mini II, Zephyr

Shop for your kitchen

Before Photo

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo

Before: Previously, the large side-by-side refrigerator in a corner of the kitchen stuck out past the cabinetry. The bulky appliance sat by a doorway that opens to the family room. “I thought that needed to be cabinet-depth or built-in,” Ramsay says.

A pantry cabinet next to the refrigerator had fixed shelves inside. “It was only 12 inches deep,” Ramsay says. “That’s why you see such a disparity between the full-depth refrigerator and the pantry.”

See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
After: Ramsay shifted the location of the refrigerator and swapped in a white counter-depth, two-drawer French door smart fridge with gold hardware. Its location to the left meant she could add a full-height and full-depth pantry cabinet (right) for small appliances, with drawers underneath for breakfast supplies and dry goods. “Moving the refrigerator to the left and making it counter-depth made the entrance to the kitchen more spacious,” Ramsay says.

Before and After: 4 Inviting Kitchens in 120 to 160 Square Feet

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
An appliance garage added in the corner by the fridge helps keep the counters free of clutter. “My concern with shifting the refrigerator was that there would be a deep hole in the corner of the kitchen,” Ramsay says. “So we did two things: We dropped the upper cabinetry to the countertop and added the appliance garage. And for the lower cabinet, we did a magic corner [organizer] on the range side and added a spice pullout by the refrigerator.”

25 Genius Kitchen Storage Ideas

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
A 30-inch fireclay farmhouse-style workstation sink sits across from the refrigerator. It features an extra-deep single bowl and a wood cutting board that slides along a built-in ledge for added function. The faucet, finished in luxe gold, has magnetic docking and a pull-down spray. “We extended the countertop behind the sink and added cabinets on the end to allow for storage and comfortable seating behind the sink,” Ramsay says. “That became the island for them.”

To the left of the sink is a double-drawer white-and-gold dishwasher that complements the fridge. A trash and recycling pullout sits in the peninsula, perpendicular to the sink. “We couldn’t fit the trash to the right of the sink, so that was the most logical place to put it,” Ramsay says. “Because these homeowners are empty nesters, using one small oven or one of the dishwasher drawers just makes sense.” Floating rift-cut white oak shelves at the end of the upper cabinetry provide a perfect spot for plants or decorative items.

Sink: Elkay; faucet: Artesso in luxe gold, Brizo

6 Expert Tips for Banishing Kitchen Clutter

Before Photo

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo

Before: A small breakfast area with a table and chairs sat just off the kitchen but wasn’t used regularly. “They didn’t use it often and she wanted a bar,” Ramsay says. A pot rack hung over the sink, adding visual clutter. A structural post in the space needed to remain in place, as removing it would have been too costly.

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
After: Removing the cluttered pots and pans gave Ramsay the opportunity to install elegant brass-and-glass pendant lights, which now illuminate the counter seating area. She replaced the table and chairs with a glamorous bar setup, creating a more functional space for entertaining. A beverage fridge in the peninsula keeps cold drinks nearby and allows guests to grab what they like without entering the kitchen. Medium brown luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring extends through the kitchen and bar area, offering the look of warm wood but with improved durability and water resistance.

New to home remodeling? Learn the basics

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo
The elegant bar has raised-panel cabinetry painted a rich, dramatic green (Black Evergreen by Behr). The brass-and-glass shelving showcases the homeowners’ tequila collection. A mirrored backsplash adds depth and a touch of glamour, while the white granite countertop coordinates with the stone used in the kitchen. “Both the cabinet style and color are different from the kitchen, but the emerald crystals in the kitchen granite tied everything together,” Ramsay says. “By eliminating that table, it allowed space for entertaining.”

Custom brass shelving: Soil & Oak Design; glass shelving: RB Glass & Mirror

Lori Ramsay DesignSave Photo



This article was originally published by a
www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .


NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates year-over year growth for custom home builders amid broader single-family home building weakness. The custom building market is less sensitive to the interest rate cycle than other forms of home building but is more sensitive to changes in household wealth and stock prices. With spec home building down and the stock market up, custom building is gaining market share.

There were 54,000 total custom building starts during the second quarter of 2025. This was up 4% relative to the second quarter of 2024. Over the last four quarters, custom housing starts totaled 184,000 homes, just more than a 2% increase compared to the prior four quarter total (180,000).

Currently, the market share of custom home building, based on a one-year moving average, is approximately 19% of total single-family starts. This is down from a prior cycle peak of 31.5% set during the second quarter of 2009 and the 21% recent peak rate at the beginning of 2023, after which spec home building gained market share. The current market share is the highest since 2022.

Note that this definition of custom home building does not include homes intended for sale, so the analysis in this post uses a narrow definition of the sector. It represents home construction undertaken on a contract basis for which the builder does not hold tax basis in the structure during construction.

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This article was originally published by a eyeonhousing.org . Read the Original article here. .

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