What Home Building Details Are on the Hot Home Trends List?

The results are in from 2025 and they show contractors what they need to be building in the new year.

Realtor.com has analyzed millions of listings from its network and identified what home buyers want to see in the properties they are looking at, as well as what existing homeowners value in their current homes.

“Realtor.com’s new 2025 Hottest Home Trends Report found that efficiency, sustainability and nature-inspired design are on the rise, while more opulent or space-heavy features are losing ground—highlighting a clear shift in how Americans define comfort and value,” the website reported.

“We’re seeing homeowners prioritize features that make their properties more efficient, resilient and self-sustaining,” said Anthony Smith, senior economist for the company. “Buyers increasingly view eco-friendly upgrades as both a lifestyle choice and a smart financial investment—especially as energy costs and climate concerns become part of everyday decision-making.”

Following water efficiency, “biophilic/indoor-outdoor design” was the second-most requested housing attribute, up 163 percent year-over-year. Such listings incorporate glass doors, interior courtyards, and living walls. “The trend reflects a growing desire to bring natural light, plants and organic materials into daily living spaces.”

A number of specific home elements that incorporate wood construction also ranked high in the study, including two-tone cabinetry, fully fenced yards, folding stations/drying racks and custom built-ins.

On the other hand, home features with the largest year-over-year declines included: formal dining areas with built-ins, three-car garages, old-world European designs, tongue-and-groove ceilings and wine vaults.

The Realtor.com study is based on active for-sale listings on its website from 2024 and 2025 (comparing January-September 2024 to January-September 2025). It measures how frequently specific home features appeared in property descriptions to identify emerging and declining trends.

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